


Tying the Knot

by bmot



Category: SHINee
Genre: (not between the main pairing), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 16:13:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20195053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmot/pseuds/bmot
Summary: Jinki, the eldest prince of Aldovia, has been engaged to Jonghyun's sister since they were children. Jonghyun's early impression of Sodam's future husband isn't a good one. But when Jonghyun gives Jinki another chance, he finds that they have more in common than he could've imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been so long since I've posted!! This is a bit short compared to my usual things, but hopefully it's still enjoyable. ^^ Here is the prompt I was given:
> 
> _Prince Pairing fall in love after meeting because Jinki is betrothed to Jjongs sister. They fight their feelings until it blows during a sword-sparring session. After they have sex Jinki decides to abdicate the throne to be with him. (That's just how I see it, you can change the ending, leave it open, etc.)_
> 
> Thanks to the prompter and the organizers of the summer of shinee event again. <3 I had a lot of fun writing this one! My wife picked the name for Jinki's country and if you know where it's from...please don't judge, we love terrible movies.

The grey stone of the Aldovia castle blends almost seamlessly into the rocks of the mountain behind it. A blanket of forests surrounds the castle that leads down to the city in the valley and frames the road leading up towards its large, metal gates.

Jonghyun shifts in his seat and glances at Sodam, who is looking out the other window with a small smile. How Sodam isn’t more nervous, he doesn’t understand. She’s here to marry a man she’s only met once before, for an alliance Byrem needs to keep Kirre off their backs, and their marriage is only a few months away. Aldovia will be her new home, but she seems entirely at peace with the strange, mountainous territory.

From the corner of his eye, he sees her turn to him. “Their mountains are beautiful, aren’t they?”

“I guess,” he grumbles. “But I prefer our ocean.”

“Aldovia has cities along the coast.”

“Far from here, though.”

Sodam rolls her eyes. “You didn’t have to come, you know.”

“I know.”

He slumps back in his seat with a sigh. He wasn’t about to send the person he’s closest to off to somewhere he’s never been, to live with and marry someone he’s never met.

“Then I’d appreciate if you were a bit more open-minded about it. I get that you’re not happy I’m leaving, but it’s for the best.” She inhales deeply and looks back to her window. “Honestly, I’m excited to be somewhere new. I’ve always wanted to travel more.”

“Yeah,” he says, letting the conversation die. When they reach the city beneath the palace, the carriage slows to match the pace of the people and carts traveling through the city. Jonghyun grits his teeth at every stop-and-start, frustrated. He wanted to arrive at the palace in a decent mood for their introductions, but the world seems fixed against him.

They finally reach the palace gates late afternoon. A palace servant greets them the instant they step outside of the carriage. Their own servants and more from Aldovia sweep in to handle the luggage, allowing them to head to the royal family without pause.

His legs are stiff from hours of sitting. The several flights of stairs required to reach the throne room are torture on his thighs. He exhales when they reach the grand hallway, preparing himself for the separate torture of formal introductions.

It takes two servants to open the throne room doors. Jonghyun keeps his face carefully blank as their names are announced as they walk forward. Formalities always make him bristle, but here, he likes them even less. Receiving people in their own court is far simpler than being a guest in someone else’s.

Four thrones sit at the other side of the room. The two at the center, for the king and queen, stretch half-way up to the ceiling with marble carvings of the mountains their castle had been built into. Two smaller thrones rest on each side. One seat is empty, while the other is filled with a man Jonghyun assumes to be Jinki.

Aldovia’s royal family has two sons. Jinki is the older one — and the one that his sister had been betrothed to since her childhood — so it’d only make sense for that prince to be the one greeting them.

When they stop to bow in greeting, Jonghyun’s eyes quickly glide over the King Yunho and Queen Boa to examine the prince at their side.

He’s handsome. He has a strong nose and full lips, with dark brows and hair that only makes his features more prominent. The elaborate embroidery covering his tunic and vest distract from his figure, but fit tightly enough for his broad shoulders and well-muscled chest.

Sodam won’t be stuck with someone hideous, at least.

The rest of the introductory announcements pass in a blur. Jonghyun forces a smile when he hears them reach their end and the royal family steps forward.

He and Sodam perform the customary bow and hand-kiss routine for higher ranking royalty to the king and queen, but straighten when Jinki approaches them. By Aldovia custom, if there weren’t an engagement, proper manners would require another bow — but with it, he’s expected to receive them as equals.

“I see you’ve read up on our country’s etiquette,” Jinki says, smiling wide as he looks between them. “That’s polite of you.”

Sodam’s lip quirks. “You know I like to read, even if it’s boring manuals.”

“You spent a lot of time doing that, the only other time we met,” Jinki says, teasing. “It’s been a while since we last saw each other. You’re a lot taller than I remember.”

Sodam laughs. “And so are you.”

Jinki gives her another grin, then shifts his attention to Jonghyun.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Jinki says. “Sodam writes about you often.”

Jonghyun glances at her and offers a tentative smile. “Hopefully good things.”

“Only good things,” Jinki responds. “So I appreciate you deciding to visit with her. And I hope I can make a good impression on you as well.”

“And I’ll try and live up to the one Sodam’s letters gave you.”

The corner of Jinki’s lips rise in amusement, but before he can respond, the Queen speaks. “I hate to cut your introductions short, but I think we should show our guests to their rooms. Dinner will be soon, and I imagine they might want some rest and a change of clothes.”

Jonghyun holds back a sigh of relief at the dismissal. He exchanges a set of polite farewells to the royal family, then follows after the servant that appears to take them to their rooms.

As they’re lead through the palace, he tries to appreciate in the dozen paintings and sculptures scattered through the halls, but there’s too many for him to inspect them all. The palace is twice as large as his own and decorated a hundred times more finely. There’s an entire _wing_ for guest royalty. Sodam gets the largest suite, equipped with a full bed, set of drawers, private bath, and dining area, while he gets the single bedroom across the hall.

Though smaller, the room is still sizeable. There’s enough space to fit a giant bed, covered with intricate embroidered drapings that link the four posters, as well as a small desk, set of drawers, and a tub. He removes his outer layers as he crosses the room, grateful to be alone even if for only a moment. The tub is already full, and he’d dismissed the servant that had offered to help him bathe the moment they asked, embarrassed. He doesn’t know if that sort of thing is normal in Aldovia, or if it’s simply an overly hospitable gesture, but he wants no part of it. Not when he could enjoy a short hour alone.

The water is still hot when he slips in. He cleans himself in a rush to ensure his hair will dry by the time dinner begins, then changes into a nicer set of clothes.

He frowns as he pulls on the shirt, thinking back to whatt Jinki had worn. He doesn't have anything with the sort of embroidery Jinki wore for their arrival, but hopefully they’d still be able to tell he was dressing in his best for the occasion.

Once dressed, he steps out into the hall to join Sodam. She links her arm in his as they walk towards dinner together, following another servant to ensure they don’t lose themselves in the palace’s hundred halls. Her hand tightens on his elbow to get his attention when she lowers her voice.

“What do you think of him, so far?”

“I only met him for five minutes.”

She purses her lips. “I still want to know.”

“He seems nice, I suppose. And he’s good-looking, though I don’t believe he’s your type.”

“Mm. You noticed?”

“I know you prefer waifish to muscular. From what I can tell, he seemed to be the latter.”

She laughs lightly. “And that sort of figure is more your preference, I know.”

He rolls his eyes, but straightens his face once they enter the formal dining room. The room is bright, lit by a hanging chandelier with dozens of candles. More sit on the table, spaced between the chairs, making it easy to see the smiles on the royal families faces as they stand to greet him and Sodam.

Another set of pleasantries goes around, this time with an introduction for the younger prince, Taemin. His sister takes the seat across from Jinki, while he takes the one across from Taemin. The king and queen sit at each end and lead them into conversation about the local climate.

There’s baskets of breads laid out on the table, but no one reaches for them, and Jonghyun’s not about to be the first. He prays his stomach won’t growl as they wait for the first course to arrive. He’s not snobbish enough to dislike the food they had at the various inns along the road, but he misses the talents of their royal cook greatly. Hopefully, Aldovia’s is just as talented.

When the appetizer of herb seasoned vegetables arrives, Jonghyun’s attention drifts further. He listens still, as the queen talks about the short winters and Jinki talks about the warm springs, but doesn’t feel the need to add anything. He knows nothing about the weather in Aldovia, and he's sure living here will do enough to teach him that.

When the shifts to outdoor games, he sees Sodam sit up straighter — and already knows what she’s about to ask.

“This might be a bit out of place for me to ask, in this discussion, but I’m curious. Is chess a common pastime for the nobility?”

Jinki raises a brow. “I thought I told you it was, in my last letter?”

“You did. And you also said you don’t enjoy it, so I’m trying to see if there’s anyone else that would play with me.”

“I enjoy it,” Taemin says. He sits up in mirror of Sodam, smile wide. “Jinki really does hate it, but I’ll be happy to play a game sometime.”

“I’d enjoy that,” She says, lifting her glass in promise. “When you play white, what sort of opening move do you like?”

Taemin leans forward, eager. “Well, there was this strategy I came up with...”

Jonghyun’s attention slips when Taemin delves into a description of the varieties he favors. He hears enough of that from Sodam when she drags him into playing. And he doesn’t have the energy to follow the babble about knights and bishops and lettered numbers.

He takes a long drink from his wine, knowing he’ll need it when he hears the queen join in on the discussion. If the entire dinner is going to be about chess, he’ll have an easier time pretending to enjoy it if he’s tipsy.

After another three minutes of strategy talk, he sees Jinki reach to fiddle with the unused spoon set in front of him. The motion makes him glance down, and when he looks up, their eyes meet. Jinki tilts his head towards Taemin and raises a brow.

“Boring?” he mouths, silent.

Jonghyun nods as subtly as he can manage.

Jinki’s lips pull into a knowing smile. Jonghyun can’t help but return it before looking back into his drink.

His cheeks prickle with warmth as he clutches the stem of his glass tighter. Even if Jinki isn’t Sodam’s type, he’s certainly attractive. That will hopefully count for something in their inevitable marriage.

Jonghyun lets the others at the table lead the conversation, only offering commentary when he can think through the fog of his tiredness well enough to think of something to say. They exchange short farewells, then are lead back to their rooms for a night of proper rest.

Jonghyun undresses numbly and climbs into bed. Hopefully, he’ll be exhausted enough from the day to fall asleep easily for once.


	2. Chapter 2

Jonghyun rolls over again, trying to find a cooler part on the gigantic expanse of his mattress in hopes that might help.

It’s the dozenth time he’s tried it, and it’s no more useful than the last.

He kicks down the blankets and scowls. His bed is luxurious, but it’s not his own. He’s slept in inns before, so that had been manageable, on the trip here — but he’s never been the guest of foreign royalty. Having such a large and decorated room only makes him all too aware of how far he is from home.

With a sigh, he climbs out of bed and throws a robe over his nightshirt. He doubts the weather will be cold, but he’s not comfortable walking around in something so flimsy when he barely knows anyone here. And he’s certainly not going to bother getting fully dressed.

He slips into the hallway and starts walking the direction he’d been brought from. Without anyone guiding him, he can take his time to appreciate the statues and paintings lining the hallway. He meanders down the hall, taking time to stare at every piece that catches his interest.

His exploration leads him to an outdoor walkway that runs along the outer edge of the palace. The mountains that surround the Aldovia palace are stark against the backdrop of the blue black sky. Between the light of the stars and moon, he can see nearly every ridge of the mountain face. He takes in the view piece by piece, walking slowly, before finally stopping to linger on the majestic sight. There’s nothing like these mountains near his home. And as unhappy as he is to be here, he can appreciate the view.

He leans against the railing and takes in a deep breath, allowing himself to enjoy the breeze for a moment. It’s enough to calm him from the discomfort of the unfamiliar surroundings had brought to him, so after another few minutes outside, he turns to reenter the mountain palace.

He’s certain he went through the same archway he exited from. But when he tries to follow his path back to his room, he recognizes none of the artworks. Not wanting to end up in the wrong hallway, he doubles back to look down a different hallway.

This one seems as unfamiliar as the last. Huffing with annoyance, he retraces his steps until he reaches a feature he thinks he remembers — blue walls — only to find no familiar doors.

He frowns and continues on, deciding not to double back again. If he avoids it, he imagines he should eventually reach a dead-end or his destination. His family’s palace is easy to navigate, even for strangers. Everything connects, and the doors to halls that aren’t in use stay closed, and there’s a clear separation of each wing. But in Aldovia’s palace, everything is open and connected, built for beauty over function. They don’t have to worry about having layered defenses, thanks to the landscape their home had been built into.

When he reaches another marbled juncture linking four hallways, he stops. Of course he’s lost. He exhales, annoyed with himself. Why had he thought wandering through such a large palace without a guide on his first day here would help him relax? Any possible peace he’d felt from getting out of bed is gone now.

Voices echo down a nearby hall, making him still. He clutches the edge of his robe, torn — would it be more embarrassing to ask for help directly, or be caught wandering around cluelessly?

He fixes his hair and steps around the corner to look down the hall where he’d heard the voices, then freezes.

Somehow, he’d ended up in Aldovia’s royal wing.

He stares. Jinki is immediately recognizable. But there’s a woman with him — one Jonghyun knows he hasn’t met yet. The woman pushes Jinki playfully. He’s too dazed to hear what she says, but the laughter that Jinki gives in response echoes down the hall.

Jonghyun knows they must not have noticed him. Because she embraces Jinki without hesitation, looping arms over his shoulders and pulling him in for an embrace that would _never_ be shared by mere acquaintances. When Jinki returns it, she gives a quick kiss to his cheek, then pulls back with a toothy smile and turns to walk down the hallway.

Jonghyun stares as she walks away. He should go, before anyone notices him — but his shock at catching Jinki with an unknown woman keeps him stuck in place.

When Jinki reaches for the door to his bedroom, he turns Jonghuyn’s way. He stills with his hand on the knob.

“Jonghyun?” Jinki asks, disbelieving.

Jonghyun stands in place, saying nothing. Jinki squints at him harder, as if taking a minute to register who he is, then begins to approach him.

From Jinki’s gait alone, Jonghyun can tell he’s had too many drinks. And the closer he gets, the more obvious it is. His eyes are puffy, his face is flushed red, and Jonghyun can smell the alcohol on Jinki when he finally stops in front of him.

He bristles, clenching his fists as Jinki seems to search for words. Maybe Sodam and Jinki would never love each other, but to bring someone else to his room the day she _arrived_? Only hours after their dinner together?

He can’t imagine anything more boorish. His sister is engaged to a womanizer _and_ a lush.

“What’re you doing out here?” Jinki asks, finally breaking the silence. “It’s real late.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Jonghyun says, voice tight. “I see that you’ve been having fun.”

“Yeah.” Jinki laughs dryly, oblivious to the disdain in Jonghyun’s tone. His lips pull slowly into a grin. “Were you looking for some fun yourself?”

“No. I was going for a walk, and I got lost.”

“Oh, sorry. I know the palace can be a bit confusing...” he trails off, blinking hard again, then runs a hand through his hair and gives a toothy smile. “Do you need help getting back to bed? I’d hate for you to miss any beauty sleep after such a long travel.”

Jonghyun tenses. Every word of it — and the grin Jinki sends him — sounds like _flirting_. But it couldn’t be that. Even if Jinki had some passing interest in men, there’s little to no chance he would try and just after having a woman leave his room.

_Sodam must’ve told him what I’m like. And he thinks he can use that to charm his way out of this. _

His jaw clenches as he forces himself to meet Jinki’s eyes. “I don’t see any need for us to spend time together at this hour.”

“I don’t know, I mean...” Jinki smiles and shrugs. “We should get to know each other better, shouldn’t we?”

“Considering your current state, I think you’d be better off with a glass of water than a chat.”

“Ah. That’s fair.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I _am_ pretty drunk.”

“Yes. So I’ll be going,” Jonghyun says, terse. He turns on his heel and begins walking straight away. When he’s halfway down the hallway, he hears Jinki giggle.

“That’s the wrong way,” Jinki says, voice echoing down the hall. “You need go back to the exterior walkway, then go in the archway with the roses on top to get to the rooms for guest royalty. There should be some other rose-themed paintings and statues along the way. Every wing has a theme or something that should make it easier to get around.”

Jonghyun bites his lip, forcing down the instinctive _thank you_ that rises in his throat. When he turns around to begin heading towards the original way he’d came from, he keeps his eyes on the floor.

He doesn’t want to see the other prince. Whether or not Sodam would care about Jinki having other lovers, he doesn’t know. But having one so soon — and as far he knows, without her awareness — is vulgar and selfish.


	3. Chapter 3

Though Jonghyun barely sleeps, he forces himself out of bed shortly after dawn.

He needs to take out his frustration before the morning meal if he’s going to have any hope of acting civilized to Jinki. And he knows Sodam won’t be up before the half-hour she needs to prepare for breakfast.

Learning that his sister’s future husband has a woman he’s already sleeping with grates him. Maybe his sister doesn’t mind that, since she doesn’t think of the marriage as anything but a political arrangement. But to him, it shows a lack of restraint — and respect.

Dressing himself quickly in comfortable clothes, he heads out into the halls to find someone to direct him towards whatever practice yards the palace might have for fencing. It’s easy to find his way. The halls that had been empty last night are bustling with servants now, and each time he loses his way, it’s easy to get pointed in the right direction until he reaches the circle of worn wooden buildings with an open arena at the center.

He tries the doors of the buildings until he finds one that leads to a room full of practice swords. He roams through the racks until he finds one about his size, then brings it out with him to the empty yard. In the discussions yesterday, he’d heard the knights and their squires in training were out on a wilderness exercise, so he has the space to himself.

He exhales and shakes out his left arm, then moves his sword to it in order to do the same with his other hand. The previous day had been stuffed to the brim with formalities and introductions. And though his accomodations give him plenty of privacy, he never felt like he had a real moment _alone_. Every time he’d stop to breathe, he’d have to get prepared for another event. The hours he’d spent trying to sleep and getting lost in the palace halls weren’t relaxing, either.

Now feels like his first chance to unwind since their travels had begun.

He starts on a set of drills, allowing his mind to go blank as his muscles move his arms and feet through memorized arcs and swings. It takes only a few minutes for him to work up a sweat. He stops to stretch, then begins a new set. Halfway through, he hears someone else enter the yard.

He glances over his shoulder and grimaces: it’s Prince Jinki. With how drunk Jinki had seemed last night, Jonghyun can’t imagine how he got out of bed. Jonghyun returns to his drill before they can make eye-contact, pretending not to see him. Jinki either doesn’t notice, or doesn’t get the hint that he wants to be unbothered.

Jonghyun hears him enter the room with practice swords, then hears him jog across the training yard to get closer. When Jinki comes into view, Jonghyun stops his drill reluctantly.

“Good morning,” he says, hoping to sound uninviting.

“Good morning to you, too.” Jinki smiles at him, genuine. There’s no sign of any hangover on his face at all. “I didn’t realize you’d be out here. Do you fence?”

Jonghyun lifts his sword arm, displaying the practice blade he’d stolen. “I think that’s apparent, isn’t it?”

“I meant as a sport — sorry. I know some people only care about swordwork for actual combat.”

“My country has a more recent history with war,” he says, terse. “So I’ve trained for both.”

“Ah, yes....” Jinki trails off, expression guilty. “If you do enjoy it as a sport, would you want to spar? That might be a bit of fun. More than just drills are, anyhow.”

Jonghyun narrows his eyes — was Jinki too oblivious to see his annoyance, or did he just not care? “I’d rather not.”

“Oh. Well, that’s alright.” Jinki looks away and bites his lip. “Would you be bothered if I do drills out here, as well?”

Jonghyun shrugs. As much as he’d prefer to be alone, he doesn’t have a reason to refuse. And he can’t exactly banish the prince from the practice yard of his own kingdom.

“It’s your space more than mine. No need to ask me for permission.”

“True,” Jinki says. “Just trying to be polite.”

When Jonghyun doesn’t respond, Jinki’s shoulders tense, awkwardness apparent. Jinki mumbles something Jonghyun doesn’t bother to try and make out, then moves to put distance between them before stopping to begin his own drills.

Though the area is large enough to fit a dozen knights-in-training, it’s hard not to notice Jinki still. His drills require turning and Jinki is the only other person in the training yard. He tries to find an angle where he can continue without seeing him out of the corner of his eye, but that’s impossible. His eyes flick to the movement Jinki makes every time he comes into view, and each time that happens, a wave of anger rises in him that makes his heart race faster than training ever could.

He grunts, frustrated, and moves through the motions of another jab before stopping with a huff. With Jinki’s here, there’s no chance exercise could help with his anger. Sodam should be up by now, and talking to her should be his priority over managing his own irritation.

He returns the sword he’d burrowed to the small storage room, but stops outside it. Jinki had set up near the yard’s exit to do his drills. He’ll have to pass him to return to the palace, unless he wants to try one of the other exits and risk getting lost as he loops around.

He inhales deeply to gather his nerve. Hopefully, Jinki had gotten the message earlier that he wasn’t in the mood to talk. But of course, Jinki stops his own drills when he passes to nod to him.

“You have really good form,” Jinki says. He wipes the sweat from his face away with his sleeve. “If you ever change your mind and end up wanting a sparring opponent, let me know."

“Mhm.” Jonghyun tucks his gloves into the pocket of his breeches and forces a smile. If Jinki’s trying to get on his good side through charm, a compliment wouldn’t be enough to win him over. “I appreciate the offer.”

“Yeah, of course. I’d like to get to know each other more, and I can’t imagine a better way than hitting swords together.” He gives a wide smile. “Will you be at breakfast with Sodam? I think we still have an hour and a half till we’re supposed to meet.”

“I planned on it.”

“If you want to bathe before it, I think your room should have a tub — but feel free to use the palace baths, too. I usually use those after I’m done exercising, since I know how much trouble it is to have a bath drawn.” He stops and shakes his head. “Not that you should hesitate to do that, if you’d prefer it...”

Jonghyun stiffens — this is another time he knows a _thank you_ would be appropriate, but he can’t bring himself to say the words.

Jinki blinks at him during the pause. “Do you need me to show you where it is?”

“No,” Jonghyun grits.

Jinki’s eyes widen at the hostility in the single word, but he only swallows. “Alright, well — don’t hesitate to ask around for help, if you need it.”

Jonghyun nods and turns to make a quick exit. He hurries back up to the palace, then through the rose-themed halls until he reaches the one that holds his and Sodam’s room. He looks between the two doors, hesitating. He needs to have a bath and a change of clothes before he’ll be presentable for a breakfast with the royal family — but this seems too important to wait until he has that settled.

Swallowing hard, he knocks on Sodam’s door.

“Sodam? It’s me, I need to talk to you.”

He hears furniture shift across the wooden floor inside. The door opens a moment later. She raises her brow when she sees the sweat on him. “...Is something wrong?”

“Yes.” He looks over her shoulder into the room behind her. “Are you alone?”

“For now, yeah. I sent Minjung to get water so I could wash my hair properly.”

Jonghyun nods and enters into the room. When Sodam shuts the door behind them, he takes a deep breath, preparing to break the news.

“I don’t want to ruin the marriage our parents have planned for you, since I know our country needs it, but—” he pauses, trying to figure out how to put what he’d seen in words. “I saw Jinki with a woman, last night. She was leaving his rooms. They seemed...” he trails off. “Close.”

Sodam’s brow furrows — not from irritation, but from disbelief. “You’re sure it was a woman?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. “He was incredibly drunk, too. I can’t imagine they weren’t doing something inappropriate.”

“Are you bothered by it?” she asks.

“Of course I’m bothered by it,” Jonghyun presses. “I know you don’t consider this a love marriage, but he hasn’t told you about anyone on the side. And it’s ridiculous for him to bring someone to his room so soon after seeing you for the first time in years. He should at least wait until you’re married, so you can make some kind of _mutual_ arrangement—”

“I think you’re making a lot of assumptions,” Sodam cuts him off.

“I don’t think it’s an assumption, when I saw it with my own eyes.”

“I’m not doubting what you saw. I just know he isn’t the type to do that.”

“Because of how he’s portrayed himself over letters?”

“No, because—” She pauses and shakes her head. “It’s complicated, Jonghyun. Just trust me. It’s fine, and I’m not bothered, and I know he’s not sleeping with whatever woman that was. I wouldn't mind if he was, either.”

Jonghyun purses his lips. “I worry that even if you _were_ upset, you’d brush it aside because our country needs this marriage to work out.”

“No, I’m not. I don’t care who he sleeps with, for one, and I don’t think it’s fair to assume he was sleeping with someone just because they visited him at night.”

Jonghyun’s mouth twists. “Either way, I’m not going to start liking him. I don’t believe that visit was innocent, and I definitely don’t think it’s proper to do whatever he’s doing without speaking with you first. Or to do it so soon before you marry. It’s disrespectful.”

Sodam smiles wryly. “There’s no convincing you it’s a misunderstanding, is there?”

“Not a chance.”

She sighs. “Alright. But be nice to him during breakfast, at least. I’ll talk to him and see if we can clear this up afterwards. You don’t need to be best friends, but I don’t like the idea of you two hating each other.”

Jonghyun frowns, but nods. He can’t imagine any way what he’d witness could be cleared up, but for his sister’s sake, he’ll at least pretend to give Jinki another chance.


	4. Chapter 4

Breakfast is tense. Jonghyun is more sociable than the previous night, but only when talking to the rest of the royal family. He ignores Jinki as politely as he can, for his sisters sake, but is certain the other prince notices. More than once, he sees Jinki look at him with a confused frown. Maybe his earlier shortness could have been taken as a result of morning grumpiness or shortness from exercise, but this certainly couldn’t.

He leaves the dining room as soon as he can without seeming impolite. Sodam and Jinki leave together for a walk in the garden, which he doesn’t want to think about. There’s no business for him to attend to, as there would be at home, so he’s lost on how to spend the hours before the next meal.

Eventually, he decides to seek out the Aldovia library. Their home is hundreds of years older than his, so there has to be some poets or authors he’s never heard about hidden within the shelves.

The library is deserted, save for a few scholarly-looking types tucked into tables at the far corners. He finds an empty one and slips into it with a book he picks at random from an adjacent shelf. The first book he starts absorbs him completely, but is short enough that he finishes it by early afternoon. When he reaches the end, he closes it and returns to the shelf to try and find another from the same author. But before he can find the next, he sees Jinki from the corner of his eye.

He stiffens, wanting to avoid being seen. How had Jinki found him again?

Jinki wrings his hands, conflicted, before he seems to find his resolve. Mouth set with determination, he starts down the isle to approach Jonghyun.

He forces himself to stand before Jinki can reach him. When Jinki stops, Jonghyun keeps his expression blank and meets Jinki’s eyes. “Were you looking for me?”

“I wasn’t trying to. I didn’t know you would be here, and I only came to get a book for myself. From this section, actually.” Jinki smiles at him nervously, his earlier sureness gone. “But since you’re here, uh — I have something for you. I was carrying it around, for the next time I see you...”

Jonghyun stares when Jinki pulls out the book tucked under his arm and holds it out. Jonghyun takes the book numbly, unsure of what else to do. “What’s this about?”

“Sodam suggested I give this for you. As a gesture of goodwill, so we can try and talk. She said you liked this poet, and she knew I had a copy lying around.”

Jonghyun narrows his eyes, immediately suspicious. “Why would she do that?”

“She told me what you saw last night, and how you interpreted it. I honestly hadn’t realized what it looked like, since I was so drunk...”

“I noticed,” Jonghyun says, clipped.

“Right.” Jinki swallows hard. “I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I understand I didn’t make a good impression, getting so drunk the night after meeting you. And I’m sure me going out of my way to be friendly with you only made you more distrustful, after that.”

Jonghyun purses his lips and flips open the book, curious what Sodam had told him to bring.

It _is_ a book he’d wanted. A collection of poems from one of the few in Aldovia — or anywhere, really — that only wrote of love between men. Most of his work is too explicit to make it all the way to Byrem. He’d mentioned it to Sodam on their journey here, but he hadn’t expected her to remember the poet’s name. She didn’t know what sort of thing he wrote. But he’d bet that Jinki does, considering he’s from the poet’s home country. He can’t help but think Sodam has nothing to do with this attempt at bribery.

Jonghyun snaps it shut. “Sodam’s the one that told you to give this to me? Really?”

Jinki blinks at him, confused. “Yes?”

“You didn’t just get it on your own to try and smooth things over? Because you know what type of man I am?”

“I, uh—” Jinki’s brow furrows. “She said you liked poetry. And I had two copies of this collection, since I got one myself after a recommendation, and a friend gave me another. I haven’t had a chance to read them, though.” He bites his lip. “I’m sorry if there’s something offensive in there. I didn’t mean to make things worse.”

“Nothing offensive to me,” Jonghyun grumbles. “But I’m sure you know what’s in them, since you tried to charm me into thinking nothing of the woman that was with you last night.”

Jinki’s eyes widen, panicked. “What did I do last night?”

“Tried to win me over with a nice smile or a few compliments or a hint that we might be similar, so meeting up with a woman is entirely innocuous.” He takes a deep breath and clenches his fingers around the book still in his hand. “I’m aware that I have a reputation. I’m sure Sodam must have written to you about it at some point or another. People think they can dangle the possibility of romance or sex or even just _acceptance_ in front of me and I’ll start doing whatever they ask, because of _course_ a prince would be pathetically desperate for any man.” He glares. “It’s not going to work.”

“You think that I — _oh_.” Jinki’s cheeks color. He runs a shaky hand through his hair, ruining the coiffed style. “I wasn’t trying to, uh — I didn’t know that you...”

He glares, skeptical. “Sodam didn’t tell you? You've been writing each other for years.”

“She mentioned you had lovers, but...” Jinki trails off, pausing to seemingly compose himself. “I didn’t piece that together. She never gave much detail.”

Jonghyun eyes him curiously. Jinki had been nervous before, but the sort of nervousness seems different now — something in his demeanor had shifted, the moment Jonghyun made his own reputation clear. And Jinki’s surprise at the revelation seemed genuine.

He swallows. Maybe he’d made a wrong assumption about Jinki’s friendliness. But he doubts he was wrong about what he’d seen.

“Assume that I’ll believe what you say,” Jonghyun starts. “Who was the woman that left your room?”

“A friend,” Jinki says. “We do embroidery together.”

Jonghyun raises a brow. “While you’re drunk?”

“Not usually,” Jinki says, voice small. “I was anxious. Now that your sister’s here in person. Knowing the weddings coming up and everything. I drank to try and put off thinking about it.” He smiles, pained. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Your sister’s a great woman. But neither of us had much choice in this, so it’s still...”

Jonghyun’s chest tightens. Jinki looks too vulnerable to be lying. And if Jinki’s being honest, that means he’s been an ass.

When Jonghyun says nothing, Jinki bites his lip. “I know none of this sounds believable. But that woman is an old friend and nothing more. She’s wonderful at it — she’s taught me a lot — and her wife’s the royal tailor. I can introduce you to them both, if that would make you more comfortable.”

“No, that’s fine.” Jonghyun runs a hand over his face, embarrassed. “I think I believe you. Sodam said I was making foolish assumptions, and she was right.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it. I understand you worrying. I imagine I’d feel protective of Taemin, too, if he were engaged to someone I’d never met.” Jinki smiles softly. He glances down at the book in Jonghyun’s hands, as if suddenly remembering it, and winces. “How bad of a gift was this?”

“Not _bad_. I’ll enjoy it — I like this poet. But it’s not something you should give to a man. It’ll send a message that you’re interested.”

“Oh.” Jinki looks down at it, ears turning red. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“I know that now.” Jonghyun sighs. “The things you said were almost flirtatious, when I ran into you that night, so I assumed you were trying to manipulate me. I couldn’t imagine any other reason you’d come off that way. That’s usually what it is.”

“I wasn’t,” Jinki says, serious. “And I’m sorry that you’re used to it. That’s not right.”

Jonghyun shrugs. “It’s fine. I’m usually better at telling between someone being serious and having bad intentions.”

“Well, I hope you know I have good ones now.”

Jonghyun smiles wryly. “I hope so.”

Jinki smiles back at him, plainly relieved. “Does that mean you’ll be alright with trying to be friends?”

“I’m surprised you’d want to try, after how cold I’ve been.”

“You were nice before we had that misunderstanding,” Jinki says. “And you’ll be here for a few months. I have a feeling Sodam is going to spend the time she’s not preparing for the wedding playing chess with Taemin.”

Jonghyun sighs. “You’re probably right about that.”

“Yeah.” Jinki laughs softly. “I know she’s seeing our tailor tomorrow afternoon to talk about dress styles. Would you want to do something then?”

“Um.” Jonghyun blinks, caught off guard by the suddenness of the invitation. “Maybe? What did you have in mind?”

“I could show you some of the nice riding paths we have along the mountain. We could have lunch out there, for a change. I’ve gotten a bit tired of the formal dining myself, so it’d be a good excuse to avoid it.”

Jonghyun pauses to think. Getting away from the palace certainly sounds appealing, and after the accusations he’d made, it only seems right to try and mend things.

“Alright,” he says, making Jinki smile. “That sounds good. I assume you’ll bring the food?”

“Of course.” Jinki’s eyes crinkle with amusement. “I wouldn’t want you to get lost trying to find the kitchens.”

Jonghyun means to frown at the teasing — it’s so soon, after he’d meant to chew the other prince out — but he can’t find it in him. With the worst of his suspicions cleared, Jinki seems as likeable as when they’d met.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Jinki meets him outside the royal stables after breakfast.

“All ready to go?” he asks, smile wide.

“Think so,” Jonghyun says. He eyes the already-saddled chestnut horse next to Jinki’s and approaches it slowly. “This is the one I’ll be riding?”

Jinki nods. “She’s good-natured, so she won’t mind a stranger riding her. And she’s used to the trails we’ll be using.”

Jonghyun leans towards her side and stills, allowing her to turn and sniff him. Once certain she’s calm enough, he places a hand on her side and begins tucking the books he’d brought into her saddlebags, preoccupying himself with the horse to avoid facing Jinki. Though the tension between them had cleared, and they’d chatted some over breakfast, a part of him feels awkward being around Jinki alone. He’s embarrassed that his assumptions amounted to nothing — and even more embarrassed at the book Jinki had given him that he’d kept.

With the little he knows of Jinki, he imagines the man would be curious about its contents after their discussion.

He glances at Jinki and clears his throat. “Should I go ahead and mount?”

“Sure,” Jinki says. He swings onto his own horse easily, and Jonghyun does the same a moment later. He waits for Jinki to urge his horse forward, then follows. When they reach the road outside the lower gates at the back of the palace, Jinki slows to ride beside him.

“There’s a clearing about two hours up the mountain trail. I thought we’d get there late morning and have a nice lunch, then settle down for a while and enjoy the weather.” He grins and gestures to the books under Jonghyun’s arm. “That’s why I suggested you bring something to read. I thought you might enjoy having somewhere more natural to enjoy your books.”

Jonghyun smiles. After a few days in the palace, the idea is appealing.

“And what will you do while I’m reading?”

“Embroidery,” Jinki says, completely serious. “I have a handkerchief I want to finish.”

“A handkerchief?” Jonghyun repeats. “You’d want to spend time on something like that, when it might get dirty?”

Jinki shrugs. “It’s nice to make everyday things a bit prettier. And I can always wash it.”

“True,” Jonghyun says.

“And they make good gifts. Have you never received one?”

Jonghyun shakes his head. “They’re a romantic one usually, aren’t they?”

“Usually, yeah.”

Jonghyun sighs. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had anything like that. And none of the men I’ve been with would consider it much of a present.”

“Oh,” Jinki says. “Well, hopefully whatever you’re gifted next is better than what I got you. I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to give a book I’d never opened myself. If I’d known what was in there...”

Jonghyun fixes his eyes on his horse’s mane when he feels his cheeks burn. “You read your copy last night?”

“Yeah,” Jinki mumbles. “I skimmed it, because I was curious.” He laughs shyly. “It’s all well-written, for certain, but not exactly an appropriate thing to get for someone you met only two days ago.”

“You were only going off of what my sister said,” Jonghyun says. “And I’ve obviously never told her what I like about that poet.”

Jinki hums an acknowledgement, but says nothing more. The rest of the ride falls into a comfortable silence that breaks only for Jinki to point out some of the region’s birds and flowers. When the path passes a small clearing, Jinki pulls his horse to a stop and raises a hand.

“This is it. And if we go a bit further away from the path, there’s a little waterfall and a creek.” He climbs down from his mount and takes its reins. “Do you want to stay close to the path, or head back to those?”

“I think I’d like to see them,” Jonghyun says. He swings off his horse. “It’ll be more relaxing, won’t it?”

“Hopefully. Or it’ll just make me have to relieve myself.”

Jonghyun snorts, caught off guard. “Yeah?”

Jinki winces. “Sorry, that probably wasn’t—“

“It’s fine,” Jonghyun cuts him off. “Really, I’d rather you make vulgar jokes than be all stiff.”

This time, Jinki snorts. Jonghyun's lip quirks. “Yeah?” He teases.

“Yeah.” Jinki gives a shy laugh. “Should we get going?”

Jonghyun nods. Jinki leads them away from the path and through the clearing. The sound of water trickling gets louder the further they go, until finally, Jinki stops again. He gestures out ahead of him.

“Aldovia’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“I think you’re a little biased,” Jonghyun says.

Jinki tilts his head. “Maybe. But I hope you’ll enjoy your time here. Are you hungry yet?”

“A bit,” Jonghyun admits.

“Good,” Jinki says. “Because I brought a lot.”

He ties his horse’s reins to a nearby tree, then pulls off half of the saddle bags and lays them out between them.

When Jinki sits and lays out a blanket, Jonghyun secures his horse and joins him on the ground. He reaches for one of the knapsacks Jinki had unloaded, wanting to help, but Jinki gestures for him to stop. “I’ve got this, don’t worry. I’d feel bad making you help after all the worry I’ve put you through.”

Jonghyun sits back, hands in his lap. Having people wait on him used to make him feel awkward, but he’d gotten used to it where he’d needed to. But having someone supposed to be his equal go through the effort of setting up their lunch right in front of makes him all-too aware of Jinki’s presence.

His skin prickles as he watches his hands move between various bags and containers, laying out cheeses and bread and pastries for them to pick at.

“There’s enough of the things you like?” Jinki asks, smiling nervously. “I’ll admit I asked Sodam for help again, since I don’t think there’s a way to accidentally offend with food.”

Jonghyun grins. “Yeah, this looks good.”

“I’m glad,” Jinki says. He grabs a pastry and sits back cross-legged. “Feel free to have whatever you like, I’m not picky.”

“Alright,” Jonghyun says. He swipes up one of the same pastries Jinki had taken, assuming he’d know what’s best, and takes a bite. The flavor of one of Aldovia’s fruits hits his tongue the instant he breaks through the crust. His eyes go wide — he still hasn’t gotten used to how much they use jams and preserves — but it’s a flavor that’s growing on him. He holds it up after swallowing. “These are really good. How often do people normally have these?”

“Fairly often. They’re one of my favorites, and we can have them all year, since they use preserves.”

Jonghyun answers with a nod and reaches for another. Lunch passes peacefully. They chat more about the weather, the wildlife, the numerous paths that surround the mountain and lead back to the palace. Though the topics are shallow, he finds himself trusting Jinki more with each exchange. He’s known manipulators, and there’s nothing about Jinki’s manner that suggests he’s anything but genuine.

Just as when Jinki had laid out their meal, he refuses to let Jonghyun help pack it. Jonghyun sits back, feeling awkward again.

When the restlessness becomes too much, Jonghyun clears his throat. “You don’t feel strange doing it all yourself?’

“Not really, no.” Jinki stills to look at him. “Is it obnoxious?”

“No. I can’t imagine you enjoy it. And I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything, when I made mistakes as well.”

“I don’t have a problem with playing host, since you’re our guest. And you’re the only prince that—” he breaks off and shakes his head. “You’re the only one I’ve spoken to in a long time. I’m sure you understand we don’t speak to Stratus much.”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun says after a pause. He can sense there’s something else Jinki wanted to say, but he can’t imagine trying to pry when their relationship is starting afresh. Hopefully, if there was anything to it, Jinki would tell him later.

After Jinki finishes packing their leftover food, he reaches for another of the bags he’d packed, then stops. “Do you want to stay here and read? Or keep riding?”

“I’d like to relax,” Jonghyun says. When he returns to his own horse to pull out a book, he sees Jinki eyeing the cover and smiles. “No, I didn’t bring _that_ one with me.”

“I imagine it’s better read in private.”

Jonghyun laughs, cheeks heating, but doesn’t answer. Jinki grins at him, obviously pleased with himself, and resumes digging through his bag. After settling in the shade of a nearby tree, Jonghyun watches from the corner of his eye as Jinki pulls out an embroidery hoop, bundles of thread, and a handkerchief. Balancing them all in his hands, he moves away from their horses to take a seat on a clean patch of grass near the stream, where the sunlight is brightest.

He sends Jonghyun a small smile. “Let me know if you get bored and want to go back.”

“I will,” Jonghyun says.

Jonghyun opens his book to where he’d left off, but his attention stays on Jinki. He watches, half-fascinated, as Jinki secures the handkerchief in the hoop and licks the end of his thread before pushing it through the eye of his needle.

The conversations he’s had with Jinki over the past day and a half are enough for him to believe the woman in Jinki’s room hadn’t been there for anything improper. But seeing him embroider still affirms how wrong he was.

He looks down at book when he realizes he’s staring, but can’t help but glance up after he finishes the first page. Jinki’s hand moves to and from the handkerchief in his lap in steady motions, making stitch after stitch without pause until he finishes with whatever color he’s working on.

He forces his eyes down, hiding a smile. He’d never met a man of noble birth that enjoyed crafts of any sort. The few that spent time on things besides riding, hunting, or fencing, still concerned themselves with too much with the potential prestige of any given hobby to care for needlework.

The difference is charming.

It takes another few minutes, but eventually, Jonghyun manages to concentrate on his book. The movements of Jinki’s hand becomes no more noticeable than the shift of tree branches in the wind, but occasionally, he’ll find himself looking up to watch Jinki’s progress.

Jinki meets his gaze with a smile that feels natural to return. When they look away to resume their work, Jonghyun realizes the back of his neck is buzzing with warmth. He clenches his book tighter, embarrassed at his reaction. Jinki’s friendly and good-looking, for certain, but he shouldn’t be so easily flustered by someone engaged to his sister and so obviously off-limits.

Not wanting to give himself the chance to look again, he angles himself away from where Jinki works

It’s mid-afternoon when he hears Jinki stand with a groan. He looks over his shoulder to see Jinki shaking out his legs, then his hands, all with a painful grimace.

“Stay in the same position for too long?” Jonghyun asks.

“Yeah,” Jinki grumbles. He twists his torso to stretch out his back, pulling the fabric of his shirt taut around his chest.

Jonghyun’s eyes linger — it’s too easy to look, when the motion puts JInki’s face away from him — but the instant Jinki turns back to him, he shuts his book and stands. “You want to start heading back?”

Jinki squints up at the sky and frowns. “We probably should, to make sure we’re there by dinner.”

After packing their things, they untie their horses and return to the road they’d taken to the clearing. Jinki lets out a quiet sigh when the palace comes into view between the trees.

“Did you enjoy the break? I think they tend to feel more substantial when you’re away from your normal surroundings.”

“It was nice,” Jonghyun agrees. “It’s been a while since I’ve done nothing for a whole afternoon. Thank you for bringing me out here.”

“Of course. I know we spent more time on our hobbies than chatting, but I was glad to get some time together.” Jinki starts a smile, but it falters before it can reach his eyes.

Jonghyun nods, uncertain of what to say when he sees Jinki’s expression. Again, there's that odd tension — as if Jinki’s holding back something — and again, he can’t find it in him to ask what it might be. The last thing he wants to do is make more foolish assumptions.

The ride continues in silence, and the uneasiness he’d sensed in Jinki seems to grow the closer they get to the palace. When Jinki speaks again, Jonghyun estimates they’re a half-hour away.

“Can I ask you a question?” Jinki says. His hands tighten around his horses reins when Jonghyun turns to look at him. “It’s a bit personal, but...”

“I probably won’t mind,” Jonghyun says. He’s too curious about what Jinki might ask to say no.

“Thanks,” Jinki says. He forces a smile. “Have you ever thought about giving up your right to the throne?”

Jonghyun nearly drops his reins, almost certain he’d misheard. “What?”

“Giving up your right to the throne,” Jinki repeats. “So you don’t have to rule, or have your life limited by everything that comes with it.”

“I—no, I haven’t thought of that,” he says, still bewildered by the question.

“You won’t be bothered by marrying a woman?”

“No, because I won’t be doing that,” Jonghyun says, grip stiffening. “My parents didn’t arrange any marriage for me when I was younger, and they know there’d be hell if they tried it now.”

“Oh.” Jinki’s eyes widen. A long pause passes before his next question. “They won’t be upset about you lacking an heir?”

“We’re a royal family without much of a legacy. Adoption won’t be looked down on too much. And a bit of new blood would do any royalty some good, considering how back-and-forth marriages have been over the ages...” He stares at Jinki, now curious. Something must’ve motivated the question. “Have you thought about it?”

Jinki ducks his head as his lips pull into a wry smile. “Sometimes, yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s, well...” He pauses. “It’s a bit like the reason I thought you might’ve considered it. Which is why I wanted to ask.”

Jonghyun’s brow furrows, eyes not leaving Jinki’s. From how the conversation had gone, there’s only one thing Jinki could mean by that — but the revelation is so roundabout, he’s not sure he trusts himself to be reading it correctly.

“Are you saying that you’re...” his pulse races before he can finish the sentence, making him trail off. He wants to keep it vague, in case Jinki’s not implying what he thinks. “With regards to men, you, uh—”

Jinki nods, somehow shy and sure at the same time. “I’ve never been very open about it, so I can’t say many people know. But I know what I am.”

Jonghyun feels his heart lurch. He lowers his gaze, trying to think of what to say as his head swims. It doesn’t mean anything for him at all. Not even the slightest.

“Does my sister know?”

Jinki nods. “We’ve written each other for years. I told her of my crush on a stable boy when we were young, and we figured it out from there.”

“Ah.” Jonghyun swallows. No wonder his sister had been so certain the marriage would be loveless.

From the corner of his eye, he sees Jinki’s expression shift into worry. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier. I thought about saying something yesterday, but I wasn’t sure how to express it without coming across poorly, and learning that you were the same...” he pauses. “I was a bit too surprised to think clearly, but I probably should have told you then.”

“No. That hardly matters.” Jonghyun’s long moved past thinking Jinki has ill intentions. Which is part of the problem. He swallows. “I just — thinking about what you’ll have to live through, with a marriage. It’s my worst nightmare, and—” he cuts himself off when he realizes what he’d said. “I’m sorry.”

Jinki’s smile tightens. “Well, now you know why I’ve considered abdicating. My parents wouldn’t let any man sit on the throne without a wife. Or future blood-related heirs.” He sighs. “I do have a younger brother, so it wouldn’t throw everything into chaos. Taemin hasn’t been raised for becoming king like I have, but he’s a quick learner.”

“Then why haven’t you done it?” Jonghyun asks, entirely lost.

“It never seemed like the right time, I suppose. And as much as Sodam and I wrote each other, it was easy to forget about my betrothal to her when she lived an entire kingdom away.”

Jonghyun stares at him, taking in the mix of resignation and frustration that darkens Jinki’s features. Thinking of how drunk Jinki had been the other night seems less like the silly misunderstanding he’d thought it to be. He can easily imagine himself doing the same if he’d been in Jinki’s place.

The scene repeats in Jonghyun’s head. After yesterday, he blamed his bad experiences for reading Jinki’s words in the hallway as flirtatious. But now he has to wonder if there was anything to it.

“Do you remember when we spoke the night you were drunk?”

Jinki blinks at him, clearly caught off guard by the change of subject. His cheeks redden. “I don’t remember much. I know you said I seemed like I was flirting, but...”

“You didn’t mean it?”

Jinki’s mouth tightens, brow furrowing with thought before he answers. “I don’t know what all I said. I certainly didn’t mean for it to go anywhere, considering you’re Sodam’s brother. But I have a feeling I might’ve flirted with any man that appeared in the hall, knowing the state I was in.”

“That makes sense,” Jonghyun says, trying to sound neutral despite the unexpected disappointment that suddenly weighs in his stomach. A day ago, and he’d have been furious if Jinki’s flirting was deliberate. But now — knowing Sodam doesn’t care who Jinki sleeps with, knowing he spends his free time embroidering, of all things, and that they’re the _same_ in a way Jonghyun rarely finds — it all makes him attractive in a more-than-passing way.

The foolishly romantic part of him can’t help but feel an immediate pull. What were the chances of another prince being like him?

He almost wishes the flirting had been deliberate.

“You look deep in thought,” Jinki points out.

When Jonghyun turns to him, JInki is watching him with an earnest curiosity that makes him flush.

“Maybe a little,” Jonghyun says, looking quickly away. “All of what you’ve said. It’s a lot to take in.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Jinki sighs. “I’m sorry I went on so much. You were a bit of a captive audience, and I feel like I took advantage of that.”

“No, it’s alright. I understand why you’d need to talk about it.”

Jinki smiles at him, clearly relieved. Jonghyun feels his stomach flip. “I appreciate that. I couldn’t resist trying to hear your thoughts, since we have some important things in common. More than with anyone else I’ve met.”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun says, throat tight. “There’s not many other princes in the world, let alone ones like us.”

The words make Jinki go still. He licks his lips and looks ahead, breaking their gazes away.

“No,” Jinki echoes. “There aren’t.”


	6. Chapter 6

Jonghyun rolls over in his bed, frustrated again. Like the first night in Aldovia, he can’t sleep. Though the reasons are entirely different.

Every time he tries to close his eyes, he finds himself thinking of the other prince. Some of it is a twisted kind of pity — he can imagine how easily he could have suffered the fate Jinki is — but another part of it is simple attraction.

That’s the part that scares him most.

He’s never been one to fall for a man who would be incapable of returning it. That sort of one sided romance never suited him. But as much as he hates to admit it, he latches on easily when he meets any other man like himself.

A day ago, he could barely form a picture of the other prince in his mind. But now, he can picture so easily how Jinki’s smile lights up his face and how surely his hands move as they clutch the reins of his horse or drive the needle through the handkerchief he’d worked on that afternoon.

He climbs out of bed and throws a robe on over his nightshirt, but doesn’t bother with tying it before hurrying out of the room. The hallways are familiar enough to him now that he can find his way to the outdoor walkway with ease.

Jonghyun slows when he feels the fresh air. He steps out towards the edge of the walkway, searching the mountains ahead to see if he can pick out some part of the path they’d ridden along earlier.

He sighs and rests his elbows over the balcony bail, annoyed with himself for thinking of Jinki again.

He’s certain Sodam doesn’t care now — and that anything between them would be impossible, any way — but that doesn’t justify how much thought he’s giving it. He’d put his guard down on their ride in an attempt to make up for his error, and now he can’t figure out how to put it back up. He’s near certain he made a fool of himself during dinner with how much he’d gone out of his way to keep a conversation with Jinki going. Hopefully, his prior coldness towards Jinki was unnoticeable enough for his quick turn-around to go unnoticed.

“You’re out awfully late again.”

Jonghyun startles away from the balcony. Jinki’s voice is familiar enough to Jonghyun now that he recognizes it immediately.

“I was just—”

“You’re not going to be in trouble,” Jinki laughs, amused. “I was only surprised to see you.”

“Yes, well — I’m surprised to see you too.” He flushes at the clumsiness of his words after they leave his mouth. “You don’t need rest, after all the riding we did today?”

“It was only the afternoon.” Jinki smiles. “We should do it again, if the weather's nice.”

Jonghyun’s stomach flips. “Yeah. Maybe.” He turns his attention out to the view. “What’re you doing up?”

“Thinking about what we discussed this afternoon,” Jinki says. It’s clear from his tone he doesn’t wish to talk about it. “How about you?”

“Just homesick,” he lies. “Had trouble sleeping.”

“I’m sorry.” Jinki frowns. “Is it much different than here?”

Jonghyun nods. “It’s a little colder. And almost completely flat. We have a few hills, but no mountains. The capital’s built along the ocean, so everything smells like salt water.” He looks down at his hands on the rail, only realizing as he speaks how much he misses it. Though he’s only been at Aldovia’s palace for a few days, he’s been away from home for longer. “There’s always a breeze, too, when you get close to the beach. It’s cold, but it feels good — like you’re being held by the water, almost, even when you’re not in it.”

“I can tell you like poetry,” Jinki says, smiling. “You sound like a romantic.”

Jonghyun snorts. “I wouldn’t call myself that.”

Jinki joins him in leaning against the balcony rail. “I like to come out here sometimes, too. At different times of day. It’s easy to lose appreciation by it, with how the days go by. Every time I feel like I’m forgetting how beautiful it is, I force myself to see it at a time I haven’t before.”

Jonghyun’s lip quirks as he turns to face Jinki. “You’re not allowed to hassle me for being a romantic, if you’re going to say things like that.”

Jinki ducks his head and laughs. “I’m not this sentimental, usually.”

“Mhm,” Jonghyun hums, skeptical. “I’m not sure I believe that.”

Jinki gives a half-hearted huff of indignance. Jonghyun gives him a small smile and returns his gaze to the view ahead, not wanting to let himself look at the other man for long — but just before his attention has shifted, he sees Jinki’s eyes trail down to his collar, linger, then return to his face.

He grips the railing as his body heats. The late evening been warm enough that he’d felt no need to close the robe over his nightshirt. Like this, a good portion of his chest is exposed. Cursing himself for noticing, he fixes his eyes more firmly on the mountain ahead of him. It would’ve been easy for him to miss such a small glance, if he weren’t so painfully attuned to every motion Jinki makes.

The silence leaves his skin prickling with an awareness of their proximity. He wants to take his own glance at Jinki, but doesn’t trust himself to be subtle about it.

“You don’t have to stay out here with me, if you want to try and sleep again.”

Jonghyun laughs dryly. “I don’t think I’ll have any luck with that,” he says, not wanting to admit that he’d want to stay either way. “Sleep never comes easy for me.”

“I’m sorry,” Jinki says, frowning. “Have you ever tried having tea before bed?”

“Only when it’s cold.”

“I could make you some, if you like. I keep some in my room, along with a pot. I don’t like to bother servants with something so easy to make — especially since I drink a lot of it. It’d just take a few minutes for me to brew.”

Jonghyun blinks, caught off guard. Despite Jinki’s earlier glance, he knows the offer isn’t an invitation in any other sense. Which is how he can justify saying yes.

“Sure,” he answers before he can think any deeper on it. “I’d like that.”

Jinki pulls away from the railing and gestures for him to follow. Jonghyun quickens his step to walk beside him through the halls. The emptiness of them makes his skin tingle, and by the time they reach Jinki’s room, he’s all too aware of the little space between them as he slips through the door.

As Jinki walks towards the hearth to light it, Jonghyun glances over the room. It’s large and well-decorated, like the ones he and Sodam had been given, but somehow homier. Jinki’s bed is far from where he stand sat the door, but he can tell the sheets are completely unmade. There’s a book on Jinki’s nightstand with a pen tucked between the pages, and miniature embroidered tapestries hanging over the dresser and mirror.

Jonghyun stares at them, impressed. “Did you make all these?”

“Most of them,” Jinki says, pride apparent in his voice.. “A few were made by friends, too.”

Jonghyun examines them more carefully, curious to see if he could pick out which ones would be Jinki’s. He hears Jinki strike a flint and toss a small amount of wood into the hearth.

He turns to eye the glowing embers. Jinki crouches down to hang the teapot over them from a hook at the top of the hearth.

“Doesn’t this make your room too warm?” Jonghyun asks.

“A few minutes won’t be too bad. I always keep the windows open this season, so the heat will leave quickly.”

“Ah.”

It’s a logical statement, but Jonghyun still feels too warm. He tugs on the collar of his nightshirt and moves away from the hearth to take a seat on one of the cushioned benches near the entrance of the room. He sees Jinki glance at him again, but to Jonghyun’s almost-disappointment, Jinki’s gaze doesn’t linger. He focuses on stoking the fire and stirring tea leaves into the pot until the water boils, then brings it to the small table in front of Jonghyun’s bench.

There’s already a clean tea set on the table, allowing Jinki to pour him a cup without searching for one first.

“Thank you,” he murmurs once his cup is full.

“No need to thank me yet,” Jinki teases. He pours his own and settles into the other bench across the small table. “Wait until we see if it actually helps you sleep.”

Jonghyun laughs. “How long will it take to know?”

“It usually takes a quarter hour for me, I think. And it comes on slowly.”

Jonghyun loops his fingers through the handle of his cup. “You’re not going to fall asleep on me?”

“That’d be rude,” Jinki says. “And you might need someone to help you find your way out of here.”

Jonghyun’s lip quirks, but he says nothing more. As much as he wants to continue the banter, he knows the only retort his mind produces — a comment on how Jinki should be leading men _to_ his room, instead of away from it — is too much.

With his tea cooled enough to drink, he takes a long drink. He watches through his lashes as Jinki does the same. When their eyes meet, he looks away quickly, only for his eyes to land on the book sitting on Jinki’s nightstand. From the angle he’s sitting at, he can see the spine of it clearly enough to see the poet’s name embossed in the leather.

He takes another sip of tea. Maybe it’s a terrible thing to bring up, but his head too fuzzy for him to come up with an innocent topic on his own. And the only thing worse than an awkward conversation could be sitting in silence.

“You’re reading your copy of the book you gave me?” He gestures to the nightstand.

Jinki’s lips purse, but he nods after a pause. “There’s not a lot of things like that out there, so...yeah.” He laughs shyly. “It’s good. My version has drawings, too, and I can’t say I see many of those. Does yours?”

“No.” Jonghyun’s attention moves to the book again, curious. He sits up straighter and sets down his cup, needing some space from the warmth of the drink. He’d meant for the book to be a light topic — something to joke about, either in its contents, or in the simple hilarity of Jinki unknowingly gifting him something so suited for him and inappropriate at the same — but now all he can think about is its placement next to Jinki’s bed.

Reading in bed is perfectly normal — he does it daily. But something with _this _sort of subject...

Jonghyun swallows. He’s not even drunk, and he’s fixated on Jinki’s bed as if he might fall into it at any moment.

Jinki’s cheeks color, as if reading his thoughts. “I feel like I should offer to show you them, since I ended up with a better copy, and that seems rude...” he mumbles, pausing to bite his lip. “Or, um — we could trade versions, if you want?”

“I’ve already earmarked mine some, so that wouldn’t feel fair.” Jonghyun smiles stiffly. Bringing the book up had been a mistake, but quickly diverting from the subject now would feel strange. He shifts in his seat, trying to appear unbothered. “How’d you end up with two copies? It’s hard to find many prints of that poet where I’m from.”

“One was from the woman you saw me with and her wife — they said they heard good things about it and purchased me a copy.” Jinki sighs. “Probably should’ve known it wouldn’t be appropriate, knowing them.”

Jonghyun laughs. “They’re not reserved, I take it?”

“Not at all. There’s a reason they’re my drinking buddies.”

“And the second one?”

“From another friend — kind of. We never talk anymore, but I don’t really know how else to refer to him.”

Jonghyun’s interest piques. “You were together?”

“Somewhat?” Jinki says. “He’s a merchant’s son that first visited us a long, long time ago — when we were both teenagers, probably. I think he realized what I was like because of how flustered I got around him, so he made an excuse to swing by my room.” Jinki laughs into his cup. “When I think back on it, it sounds so stupid. If he had the confidence to be that forthright, he must’ve done that with dozens of other boys. But it was exciting at the time.”

Jonghyun smiles, thinking of his own first experiences. “It’s not stupid, but I understand. I didn’t turn down many opportunities when I was younger.”

The warm look Jinki sends him makes his stomach tighten. “I should’ve known you’d get it.”

When Jonghyun shrugs, he sees Jinki grin.

“Does that mean you’re pickier now?”

Jonghyun blinks. “With men?”

Jinki nods.

“Mostly,” Jonghyun says. He reaches for his drink to have something to do with his hands when Jinki says nothing. “I try to be a bit more careful with who I choose to sleep with. And I usually do the pursuing, I suppose, since that makes it makes me feel more certain that it’s about actual want and not about my status.”

“Oh,” Jinki says. His eyes seem to glimmer with interest. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

Jonghyun raises a brow. “That I’d be careful?”

“No, the pursuing part.”

Jonghyun’s too caught off guard to do anything but laugh. “What about me seems incapable of that?”

Jinki’s nose scrunches. “I don’t know, just...” he gestures vaguely. “Maybe it’s the poetry thing? Most people I’ve met like that want to be swept off their feet, rather than the other way around.”

“I don’t care whichever way it happens,” Jonghyun says. “And it’s usually a back-and-forth thing, anyway, after the first few words. Then you just let things flow naturally.”

Jinki smiles, but there’s a touch of sadness in it. “I can’t say I’ve ever been comfortable enough to try that, I guess. I never wanted to make anything too obvious, so the few experiences I have are from when people happen to approach me.”

“Well, I’m having trouble imagining _that_. You’re too outgoing.”

“Making friends is a lot easier than trying to bed someone.”

“Not always,” Jonghyun teases. “Maybe you should give it a try sometime?”

He only realizes what he’s said when Jinki’s eyes go wide.

“I, uh—” Jinki stammers, red-faced. “That’s—”

“I’m sorry,” Jonghyun cuts him off. “I was joking.”

“It’s alright,” Jinki says, smile hesitant but sincere. “It’s nice to be able to joke about these things.”

Jonghyun nods and turns his head, embarrassed. At home, he has friends he can tease like this — it’s easy to fall into it, now that he knows Jinki better — but with them, he nevers feels like he’s suggesting anything more. The only reason it might feel different here is because he’s interested. Or thinks Jinki may be.

Jonghyun swallows. Whether or not Jinki wants anything doesn’t matter, when it’s something he knows would only hurt them both. He’d have to return to Byrem after their marriage, and he doesn’t want to be anyone’s second lover, even if the marriage is entirely political.

He sets his teacup down too quickly. The tray rattles against the polished table. “I should go.”

Jinki stares at him, clearly startled by the sudden statement. “You don’t have to.”

“I don’t want to keep you up any longer. And I should really try and sleep.”

“Alright,” Jinki says. His voice is steady, but the hurt is plain on his face. “Is everything okay?”

Jonghyun nods. He closes his robe around himself when he stands, then forces a smile. “I think the tea’s just kicking in.”

“That’s good.” Jinki gestures to the half-full teapot. “If you want to bring the rest of it with you—“

“No, I’ve had enough.” His gut twists when he sees Jinki’s lips tighten. “Thank you, though.”

“Of course.” There’s a touch of confusion in the words, but Jinki stands with him to escort him to the door. Jonghyun slips outside it the moment it opens. Jinki steps into the threshold and forces a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast, then?”

“Yeah.” He pauses, considering if he should say something more. A part of him feels like he needs to, to break the tension between them that he’d created — but he can’t again, he finds himself unable to think of a way out. He inhales. “Good night, Jinki.”

“Good night,” Jinki echoes.

Jonghyun walks away, chest heavy. He only hears Jinki’s door click shut after he exits the royal wing.


	7. Chapter 7

The little sleep Jonghyun manages does nothing to clear his thoughts. He wakes just as restless as he’d been trying to sleep, hours before he needs to be ready for breakfast. Not wanting to read — because that would remind him of _the_ _book —_ and having no other ideas, he decides to return to the training yard.

He’s down here for nearly the same reason as the first time he’d sought it out — frustration with Jinki — but this time, the sentiment behind it is entirely different.

He can’t gauge if Jinki is interested in him or not. His friendliness was genuine, he’s sure, but after a few minutes away from Jinki’s room, what he’d said about never making the first move sticks in his head. Does that mean Jinki wants something, but is trying to hint at things to wait and see what Jonghyun does? Like how he’d alluded to them being the same, but Jonghyun had to make the final leap aloud?

After grabbing a practice sword from the storage room, he slams the door shut behind him. When he turns, he spots Jinki entering from the other end of it and finds himself grimacing.

Likely unable to see his expression from far away, Jinki only waves to him.

He takes a deep breath, pushing down his tension as Jinki approaches him. “Good morning,” he says, smiling once he’s closer. “I didn’t expect to see you up so early.”

“I didn’t expect you to be, either,” Jonghyun says. “How did you know I was out here?”

“I didn’t,” Jinki says. “But I wanted to come down here to get some exercise before breakfast. It helps me feel better.”

“Right.” Jonghyun bites his lip and looks away. Of course they had to have that in common too.

Jinki makes a small gesture to the door Jonghyun’s standing in front. “Would you mind if I grab a practice sword?”

“No, go ahead — sorry.” He moves out of the way. The minute Jinki spends in the storage room gives Jonghyun a bit of time to collect himself, but the moment Jinki reappears and sends him a genuine smile, his nerves return.

“Would you want to practice together, now that we’re on better terms?”

“Would you?” Jonghyun asks back.

“I would. It’s always more fun to have an opponent, isn’t it?”

“That’s true,” Jonghyun says. There shouldn’t be any harm in sparring. It’s not as if they’d be wrestling hand-to-hand. And it certainly would be more satisfying than performing drills on his own and trying to ignore Jinki from the corner of his eye. He nods up at Jinki. “Alright, we can try that.”

Jinki grins. “Great.”

They walk out to the center of the yard together. When Jinki enters a starting stance, Jonghyun puts the appropriate distance between them before doing the same.

“How should we signal to start?” Jinki asks.

“Just go for it,” Jonghyun says. “If I can’t react fast enough, I’d probably end up losing, anyhow.”

Jinki laughs. “Alright then.”

As Jonghyun had asked, Jinki gives no warning before lunging forward. It’s an easy move to block, but the speed with which Jinki’s sword hits his own still impresses him.

“You’re fast,” Jonghyun acknowledges as he steps back.

Jinki raises a brow. “You sound surprised.”

“Not too much,” Jonghyun says. “But I thought I should say it.”

Jinki smiles, clearly pleased. Jonghyun doesn’t wait for his concentration to return before making a move of his own. He swings his sword out sideways to attack Jinki’s side, only for Jinki to block him just as easily. He meets Jonghyun’s eyes with a grin, and when Jonghyun retreats, follows with an attack of his own.

The testing blows shift into real ones as they continue on. Jonghyun loses himself in the rhythm of it, letting his worries fade away to reactions and the strain on his muscles. It feels like an even match, but that only makes Jonghyun’s urge to win stronger.

He goes for an upward arc, hoping to catch Jinki off guard — neither of them have tried a move like that yet — but Jinki sees it coming.

Jonghyun curses when their swords lock. Because of what he’d tried, his is underneath, giving Jinki the advantage. All Jinki would have to do is overpower him. Which Jonghyun isn’t sure he can stop. He grits his teeth and pushes back against Jinki’s sword. Somehow, he manages to shift and twist the point where their swords meet so that they’re on more even ground.

The shift required moving into Jinki’s space, and now, their swords are the only thing between them. This is the closest they’ve ever been.

His heart races. His attention flicks between where their swords are locked and Jinki’s face, and he catches Jinki looking, too.

Irritation flares in his stomach. He’d agreed to this to take his mind off things, not make it _worse_.

He digs his heels into the dirt and shoves his sword forward.

Jinki’s eyes widen when he’s forced to step back to avoid stumbling completely.

“You’re strong,” he says, lip quirked.

“Is that surprising?” Jonghyun grits, pushing harder. This time, Jinki meets his strength to keep them at a stalemate.

“Not entirely,” Jinki breathes, voice equally strained.

Jonghyun says nothing. Jonghyun’s arm burn with the effort, but somehow, he manages to keep their swords from moving more than an inch when Jinki clenches his jaw and pushes harder.

But Jinki keeps pushing. When he tries to force Jonghyun back, his body tips forward, bringing their faces even closer together.

Their swords are still between them, but in the gap above where they cross, they’re nearly close enough to kiss. When Jinki looks at him, he seems to have the same realization. His lips part, then tighten, and his neck shifts as he swallows hard.

Jonghyun’s grip falters. His sword slips down through his loosened fingers, and that’s enough to give Jinki the advantage he needs. Without resistance, there’s nothing to stop Jinki’s sword from falling to smack against his forearm.

The practice blade is dull, but that doesn’t stop it from bruising him on impact. Jonghyun curses and stumbles, clutching his arm. There’s a tear in his shirt where the edge of the blade had caught onto the fabric, and he can see the welt already beginning to form on his skin.

Jinki’s eyes go wide with panic. He drops his sword. “Oh god, are you okay—”

“I’m fine,” Jonghyun interrupts. He straightens and steps back, keeping a hand over where he’d been hit as if to keep Jinki from reaching for it. “Just a bruise. Let’s do another round.”

“Are you sure?” Jinki asks, concerned. When Jonghyun uncovers his arm, his eyes fix on the tear in Jonghyun’s sleeve, where Jonghyun has no doubt a bruise is beginning to form. “That looked painful.”

“I’ve dealt with worse,” he says. He lowers himself into a starting stance again, ignoring the throb of pain his arm gives when his muscles shift. “Are you too tired for another?”

“No, but...”

“I want a proper match,” he says. “I got distracted that round.”

Jinki searches Jonghyun’s face, confused. “I’m alright with stopping, but if you insist on it...”

“I do,” Jonghyun insists. He doesn’t want to see Jinki so concerned for him. “I want to go again.”

“Alright,” Jinki says, but frowns. “But I’ll be more careful this time.”

“You shouldn’t need to be,” Jonghyun says, terse. He shakes out his bruised arm as he waits for Jinki to get into position.

Once ready, Jinki nods to Jonghyun’s extended blade. “You can start this time.”

Jonghyun’s mouth twists — the last thing he wants when he needs to take out his frustration is to have Jinki go _easy_ on him. But the only way to prevent that would be by going all-in himself.

He begins with a downward swing. Jinki blocks it, but does nothing more, forcing Jonghyun to set the pace with a second attack. He presses forward, trying to get past his guard. Each time, Jinki stops him, but does anything more. After a minute of staying on the defense, he offers a half-hearted jab that only serves to make Jonghyun angrier.

Wanting to end things, he feints an aggressive swing, then loops his sword up under Jinki’s arm.

The point of his sword ends up under Jinki’s chin. But the victory gives him no satisfaction. He’d only seen Jinki’s skill for a few minutes, but he knows this isn’t the extent of it.

When Jinki raises his hands in surrender, Jonghuyn pulls back his sword and gloweres. “You let me win.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Jinki says, frowning.

“Then why was winning so much easier? And your blows so much weaker?” He accuses. “I can tell you’re not tired.”

“And _I_ can tell you’re upset,” Jinki retorts. “Why are you trying to hide it?”

Jonghyun stiffens, feeling caught. It’s the first time Jonghyun’s seen Jinki angry. He lowers his eyes. “I’m just competitive.”

“I can believe that,” Jinki says, already seeming collected again. “But I doubt that's all of it. If it’s something I’ve done, I’d want to know. You left so abruptly last night, I’m worried I offended you again, or made you feel like you were inappropriate somehow.”

“I’m not offended.” Jonghyun smiles wryly. “I don’t know why you'd think that.”

“Then what is it?”

“Everything about yesterday, really.” When Jinki only stares at him in confusion, he sighs. “Why did you tell me you like men?”

Jink’s brow furrows. “Isn’t it obvious? I wanted to talk to someone that’d understand. I thought we could be friends.”

“I get that’s what you intended. But you kept pointing out our similarities, and you invited me to your room, after looking at me like—” He grimaces when he realizes how ridiculous he sounds. “I know you weren’t trying to do anything with that. But it put the thought of it in my head, and now it won’t go away, even though you’re supposed to marry my sister. I know she’s said she doesn’t care what you do. We barely know each other, but—” he cuts himself off again. “I don’t know. Tell me I’m reading too much into it.”

“I’m sorry,” Jinki murmurs. His eyes are soft when he meets Jonghyun’s. “I’ve been trying to hide that, because I know it’s foolish. I suppose I haven’t done a good job.”

Jonghyun’s stomach tightens. “So I’m not imagining it, then?”

“Not this time, no.” Jinki pulls off one of his gloves to fidget with it. “When we first met, I didn’t think about it at all. But after I found out we were the same...” he swallows. “I did start seeing you differently. I know it’s been such a short time, but it was hard not to feel something.”

Lost for words, Jonghyun turns around and tosses his sword aside. “I wish you hadn’t fucking told me that.”

“I don’t want to lie to you.”

He whips around to face Jinki. “And what do you want me to do, now that you’ve gotten that off your chest?”

Jinki’s expression turns blank. “I don’t know. What do you want?”

Jonghyun’s heart pounds — from irritation as having his question thrown back at him, or because now he knows his impossible attraction is returned, he doesn’t know — but it keeps him from thinking clearly. All he can think of is how badly he wants these feelings dealt with. And the only thing keeping him from that is Jinki’s passivity and his ideas of _morals, _which no one else even shares.

He steps forward and grabs Jinki’s collar, then stops, looking up at Jinki intently. He’s past hesitating. But this is closer than they’ve ever been — and for all the imagining and staring he’s been doing, he finds himself dizzy with the weight of his want.

Jinki licks his lips and glances down at Jonghyun’s, pupils wide with interest. “I can’t tell if you want to hit me, or...”

“No,” Jonghyun says, voice low. He pulls on Jinki’s collar, watching through his lashes as his expression shifts from surprise to anticipation in the short journey before their lips meet.

Heat rolls in Jonghyun’s chest. He hears Jinki drop his sword, but barely registers it. Jinki’s hands slip into his hair a second later, tilting his head for a better angle to run a tongue along the seam of his mouth. Jonghyun startles — he hadn’t expected Jinki to move things ahead of him, with how reserved he’d been before — but quickly opens his mouth to deepen their kiss.

With a soft moan, he releases his hold on Jinki’s collar to fit himself against Jinki fully.

It’s as if he’s turned a lock. The hand Jinki doesn’t have knotted in his hair roams over him freely, learning the shape of his waist through his clothes and squeezing his ass.

Jonghyun pants and clutches Jinki closer, reluctant to break their kiss even for air. When he pulls back, it’s only because he knows they need to move if he wants anything more.

“We shouldn’t do this out here,” Jonghyun mutters, looking around.

Jinki nods. “My chambers—”

“Too far,” Jonghyun cuts him off. He might change his mind by then. He jerks his head towards one of the other storage closets of the training yard. “Do people go into that room often?”

“No,” Jinki says. “And never at this time of day.”

Not needing to know anything more, Jonghyun grabs him by the wrist and leads him there. He bumps the door open with his knee and pulls Jinki inside. Jinki pushes him up against the wall of the small closet as soon as the door is shut behind them behind them, mouth seeking his neck.

Jonghyun lifts his head back, allowing him easy access to suck at his pulse. He clenches Jinki’s shoulder, overwhelmed, and whines when he feels teeth scrape against his skin. The noise makes Jinki curse, and a second later, Jonghyun feels his hand slip down over his stomach to the front of his breeches.

“This alright?” he murmurs, heated.

Jonghyun presses on the back of Jinki’s hand with his own to encourage him. It takes only a hurried nod and another curse to make Jinki reach past his waistband to grab his cock.

He bites his lip, refusing to think of anything more than the hand on him and the kisses Jinki is pressing under his jaw. There’s no teasing in the way Jinki is touching him. His fist is fast and tight, If he lets it keep going, it’ll be over too soon.

“Stop,” he says, twisting away from his kiss.

Jinki looks at him, worried. “Do you—”

“I don’t mean it like that,” Jonghyun pants. “I want more.”

Jinki stares at him, dazed. “More?”

“I want you to fuck me,” Jonghyun growls. He pushes Jinki’s tunic out of his pants. “We’ve already come this far. We might as well do everything.”

He sees Jinki swallow. “How long has it been since you’ve last done it?”

“A while, but I can adjust easily enough.”

“You’re sure?”

“I told you I had a reputation.”

Jinki licks his lips, eyes dark with interest. “You did.”

“Then trust that I can take it.”

When Jinki nods, Jonghyun tugs him away from the wall and turns to the waist-high stack of crates near the door. Jinki senses his intention and places hands on his hips to press closer. Jonghyun shivers at the contact. Though Jinki hadn’t undressed at all, his cock is still hard enough for Jonghyun to feel though his breeches.

Jinki tucks his mouth against the crook of his neck, running his lips along the back of it until he groans. Jinki’s hands slide up his side, tugging up his shirt with it until it’s fully over his head and off. He tosses it onto the crate in front of them.

“That should make it more comfortable,” Jinki murmurs, kissing his nape.

“I don’t care about that,” Jonghyun hisses. He pushes his hips back, catching Jinki off guard. “Hurry up.”

Jinki inhales sharply, then shifts a hand to Jonghyun’s shoulder and pushes him down against the crate. Jonghyun’s bloody floods with heat. He’s not pinned, but Jinki’s hand is firm, and the sureness of it makes him still.

For a second, Jinki’s hand vanishes from him, but it returns before he can complain. Jinki’s other hand sets something near him — some kind of oil bottle, he guesses, from the clink of glass he hears against the crate as Jinki sets it down.

Jinki hooks a finger in his breeches, tugging them down as far as he needs to run his cock fully along Jonghyun’s ass. He bites his lip, resisting the instinct to urge Jinki along again. They’re too far along for words to matter, and pushing back is just as effective to say what he needs.

“You want me to just...?” Jinki trails off, a touch of disbelief in his voice that makes Jonghyun scowl.

He turns his head to let Jinki see him nod, then waits. He pulls his lip between his teeth when he hears the rhythm of Jinki slicking himself up. Jinki’s fingers press against him, two at once, and slip inside with little effort. Jinki stretches them in him once, testing his comfort, and pull out only a minute later. Jinki wipes his hand on the shirt he’d thrown over the crate, then places it on Jonghyun’s back. His fingers twitch against his shoulder blade, eager. A second later, Jonghyun feels the heat of Jinki’s cock against him as he slides it up to meet his hole.

There’s no need to Jinki to warn him what’s next, when Jonghyun can feel everything. It only takes shifting back to make Jinki find the nerve to press into him.

It’s been a few months since he’s done this, and as much as he wants to hurry, he knows that would only make what he’s doing even more foolish. He exhales and closes his eyes, letting himself get lost in the sensation and relax. When he grips the edge of the crate, his arm burns from where Jinki’s sword had hit him earlier, but that only makes his need for pleasure heighten.

As much as he knows it’s needed, but the push-in is still slow enough to drive him mad. His breath sounds too-loud in the small room, and the sharp inhale he hears Jinki give with each inch he shifts deeper makes him desperate. He shivers when he feels Jinki’s hips finally press against him.

“You alright?” Jinki pants.

Jonghyun nods, not wanting to clear his head to find words. Jinki murmurs some kind of affirmation, then his hand adjusts its placement on Jonghyun’s shoulder, pressing him to the crate more firmly to keep it from rocking when he draws out and fucks back in.

With how carefully Jinki had first pushed into him, he’d thought Jinki would take time to build up a pace. But there’s barely a pause between each thrust, and even when Jinki moves back into him slowly, he grinds deep, almost leaning over him completely in his attempt to get closer. It’s urgent, feverish, and almost too much — which is perfect. He doesn’t want to think about the mistake he’s making, or the reasons Jinki’s fucking him like the world’s about to fall apart around them.

When Jinki runs a hand down his back, he groans, turning his head against the shirt Jinki had thrown down for him. The heat of Jinki’s palm seems to cover every inch of his skin, leaving Jonghyun trembling by the time it returns back between his shoulder blades.

“Jinki, don’t—” he hisses, voice low. “Don’t stop.”

“I know,” Jinki says, bending further over him. Jonghyun grips the crate tighter. One of Jinki’s hands slides down to grip his hip, tugging him back before tightening to help keep him in place. Jonghyun grits his teeth and reaches down to stroke himself — the too-much of everything, from Jinki’s tight hold on him to the fervor of each movement, means he won’t last long.

More of Jinki’s weight shifts onto him. Jinki’s lips press against whatever skin he can reach, and heat of them is enough to bring him closer. His breath hitches as his hand tightens around himself. Jinki seems to sense it: his kisses turn open-mouthed, until Jonghyun holds himself up to put his neck in reach.

“Shit—” Jonghyun bites his lip to suppress a louder sound when Jinki’s teeth press into where his neck meets his shoulder. It catches in his throat, escaping as only a muffled moan, and forces his hand still.

Jinki presses against him with a small gasp. He buries his face into Jonghyun’s shoulders and pulls them tighter together. Jonghyun feels each heated throb of coming Jinki inside him, and if it weren’t for the hand Jinki has on him, his legs might give out completely.

For what feels like ages, neither of them move. He’s overheated, pressed between Jinki and his now-dirtied shirt with his cock still in hand, but he has no desire to change that. A part of him senses that movement would make everything he’s done real.

When Jinki finally shifts, pulling away from Jonghyun, the light from the door is enough to create a silhouette of Jinki in front of him. Jonghyun stares at the shadow, dazed. He stays motionless until he feels Jinki pull out and move away.

The warmth in his chest vanishes the instant Jinki leaves. _He shouldn’t have done this. _

He pulls up his breeches and turns around. Jinki smiles shyly and steps closer to him. “I’m sorry I finished so quickly — it was too good. I can do anything you like, though—”

“No,” Jonghyun jerks back from him. “I’m fine, really.”

Jinki stares. “Are you alright?”

“I shouldn’t have done that,” Jonghyun says, numb. He cleans his shirt as best he can before pulling it back on. “_We_ shouldn’t have done that.”

Jinki’s hands still. His eyes search Jonghyun’s face, expression torn between hurt and panicked. “I thought you wanted to?”

“I did,” he grumbles. “And it was stupid.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Well, I do. And it’d be even more stupid to do it again.”

“Why?”

Jonghyun stares, almost lost for words. “Because you’re marrying my _sister_?”

“I told you I don’t want to,” Jinki says. “Maybe I won’t.”

Jonghyun scowls. “You’d do that because of sleeping with me once?”

“Jonghyun, I’ve already told you I’ve been considering abdicating—”

“You shouldn’t.” Jonghyun cuts him off. “Your family wants you to inherit, I’m sure, and your engagement—”

Jinki stiffens. “It would end, if I gave up the throne. I’ve never wanted it, anyhow.”

“My country needs it,” Jonghyun presses. “It’s a small thing for your country, since you never had any involvement in what happened between when we broke off from Kirre, and all your getting out of it is some port access. But if Kirre decides they want to take over our home again, and we don’t have any stronger allies — like _your_ country — we could be slaughtered.”

“If it’s that important, we can find another way to build an alliance. Or there’s Taemin.”

Jonghyun scoffs. “Shoving my sister off on another man she barely knows isn’t my idea of a solution.”

“It’d only be if she’s alright with it, obviously.”

“And if she isn’t?” Jonghyun asks. “Would they even want to find some way to work things out, if they knew I’m responsible for making you leave the throne?”

For the first time, Jonghyun sees Jinki’s lips twist with annoyance. “This isn’t just about you.”

“It’s not just about you, either,” Jonghyun snaps. “You’re being selfish.”

“Am I? Because it sounds like I’m not taking any path different than yours.”

Jinki’s right, in a way. But that only makes him angrier to hear it.

“_I’m_ not breaking something that’s been planned for decades,” Jonghyun hisses, furious. He smooths out the front of his tunic and shakes the fabric, trying to remove the dust that had coated its surface when he’d bent over the crate.

The irritation in Jinki’s features vanishes immediately, replaced by regret. “Jonghyun, I’m sorry. I was—”

“We don’t need to talk about it,” he cuts him off. “Do you want to clean the place up, or should I?”

Jinki watches him, eyes almost wild with a mix of desperation and guilt. Jonghyun’s face is numb. He has no idea what expression he might be making — but whatever Jinki sees in it makes him swallow.

“I can do it. You’re our guest, so it’d be worse if you’re late for breakfast.”


	8. Chapter 8

A week passes. Outside of the dinners and lunches and tea hours he’s dragged to with his sister, he avoids Jinki completely. It’s easier to act normally around him than it was the first time, when he’d genuinely disliked him — he’s fine with being friendly around everyone else, and it’s only the time alone he needs to avoid. Now, he knows the distance he’s putting between them is for both of their sakes. He doesn’t want to interfere in the marriage his country needs. And while Jinki may not feel it now, starting anything that would have an inevitable end would only hurt them both.

He’d expected for this to happen again — Jinki tried to catch him after lunch, the day they’d gone too far in the training yard — but this time, Jinki is more insistent. He reaches the door before Jonghyun can duck out, and follows him when he tries to slip away.

“Jonghyun, hold on.”

He only stops because Jinki’s family is still in earshot. He forces an empty smile. “What is it?”

“Our tailor wants to work on the wedding clothes,” Jinki says. It’s plain the words that pain him. “She’d like to make something for you, to ensure all our outfits match somewhat. And I have another fitting, too.”

Jonghyun swallows. Unlike Jinki’s other invitations, this isn’t something he can turn down.

“Alright. What time is it?”

“Afternoon,” he says. “We’ll probably miss the family lunch.”

“That’s alright,” Jonghyun says. He certainly hasn’t been enjoying them. “Where will it be?”

“There’s a dressing room. It’s in the royal hall, so...”

“I’ll know where to find it,” Jonghyun finishes for him. Half of him had been afraid it’d be in Jinki’s room.

Jinki offers a tentative smile. “I’ll see you then?”

“Yeah.”

He hurries back to his room. He’d like to spend the next few hours reading, or doing anything else to distract himself. But his stomach is in knots, and it’s impossible to think. If Jinki were anyone else, he might assume the fitting was a lie intended to force a conversation out of him and skip it. But he knows Jinki’s too honest for that.

The rest of the morning goes by too slow and too fast. He finds himself at his room’s mirror fixing his hair a few minutes before he’s about to leave and only realizes what he’s doing a minute into primping his hair.

He scowls and pulls away from it, annoyed with himself for caring. He wishes he could say that it was because he wanted to make a good impression on the tailor, but he knows that’d be lying to himself.

When he reaches the royal wing, it’s easy to find the dressing room Jinki spoke of. The door is open when he arrives. He peeks inside the room, uncertain if he’s too early, and sees Jinki walk into view of the doorway.

“Hey.” Jinki’s eyes seem to light up. “I’m glad you were able to make it.”

The real meaning of it — I’m glad you didn’t avoid this — makes Jonghyun tense.

“Of course. I know I’ll be part of the ceremony.” He looks over Jinki’s shoulder, wanting to know they’re not alone. “Is she here?”

“Yes, I’m here!” A woman’s voice carries from the back of the room. She appears a second later with a bundle of cloth in her hand and hurried towards them.

“Nice to meet you,” she says, extending her hand. “It’s Sooyoung.”

The gesture is so quick and unexpected Jonghyun barely gets a chance to shake her hand and introduce himself. Her eyes shift over him, as if measuring him with her eyes. She smiles up at him. “Do you have any sort of preference as far as fit goes?”

“Um — not particularly, no.”

“Good. Because I already have something planned, but I need to make alterations.” She disappears behind one of the dressing room mirrors, then returns with a white tunic, a matching jacket, and brown breeches adorned golden trim. “Can you try these on?” she asks, shoving them into his arms mid-question.

“I can,” Jonghyun says.

“Then you two get changed,” she gestures to the clothes hanging over the back of the chaise at the center of the room. “Jinki’s are there already, he knows what they look like. I’ll come back and figure out where we need to take things in. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

From the corner of his eye, Jonghyun sees Jinki swallow and nod. “I’ll let you know when we’re done.”

She darts away. The door clicks shut behind her.

Jonghyun turns away from Jinki, face heated. Of course they’d have to change around each other.

He hears Jinki clears his throat. ‘“There’s a bit of space in here. I’ll go to the other end of the room. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Thank you,” Jonghyun murmurs. He walks in the opposite direction from where he hears Jinki’s steps lead, but when he reaches a wall, the distance gives him little comfort.

A week ago at the training grounds, he hadn’t had a chance to see Jinki’s body. But that somehow makes it harder not to look now. There’s a mirror nearby he’s certain he could see Jinki in from the right angle, and it takes more willpower than it should to avoid stepping in front of it. And pressing the desire down only makes him that much more aware of it.

Sighing in frustration, he hurries to change. The sleeves of the jacket and pant legs of the breeches are too long for his height, but everything else fits well enough that the alterations should be minor. He swallows and finishes buttoning his jacket, then turns around.

Jinki’s outfit is similar to his own, but all white, making the golden undertone of his tan skin even more obvious. It draws Jonghyun’s eyes naturally to his face. Jinki looks back at him, jaw tight.

“You look good.”

Jonghyun’s skin prickles at the compliment, but he forces himself to step to the door. He raps his knuckles against the wood. “We’re done changing.”

He gets only another short glimpse of Jinki’s hurt before the door swings open. His chest squeezes. Maybe he should have said something — with how good he looks in the all-white outfit, he deserves a compliment. But it would feel wrong. Because of what he’s trying to avoid, and because he knows the wedding isn’t something Jinki wants at all.

She bypasses him to march over to Jinki. After pulling a pincushion from her pocket, she begins to tuck the suit in, starting with the loose fabric around his legs, then moving up to his waist. When she circles around to reach his shoulder, she eyes him narrowly. “I gave this to you early so you could start working on it. Have you not decided what you want to embroider?”

Jinki tenses. “I haven’t thought about it recently.”

“Well, you need to figure that out soon. It would take a few weeks to finish anything elaborate enough for a royal ceremony. And we’ll want your gloves to draw out whatever accent colors you use.”

“I know,” Jinki says, voice low. “I’m sorry. I haven’t felt motivated lately.”

Jonghyun bites his lip and looks away, guilty. He sees the tailor clap a hand against Jinki’s back.

“Don’t be sorry, just to do it. You’ll need to get on it, if you want this ready in time.” She pinches the plain silk of his collar and laughs. “Don’t let cold feet get in the way of looking good, alright? It’s going to reflect poorly on me if you show up to your wedding underdressed.

Jinki forces a smile. “I won’t let that happen. I promise.”

“Good.” She pats his back and gives a tight smile. “You can undress. But be careful not to loosen any pins when you take that off. I’ll leave the silk jacket with you, so you can start your embroidery. Don’t take it out of your room, or drink near it, or eat near it—”

“I know how to keep clothes clean,” he says.

“Can’t be too careful,” she retorts. She turns to Jonghyun. “Are you ready?”

“I think so,” he says. Immediately, she approaches him with the pincushion and begins rolling back and pinning the sleeves that had covered his hands. Once done with his arms, she drops begin pinning the hem of his breeches.

“I’d heard you were around Jinki’s size. I didn’t realize how much shorter you were.”

Jonghyun purses his lips. Beside him, he sees Jinki’s lips quirk.

“I’m not that much shorter. I usually wear boots.”

She straightens to raise a brow with him. “And how tall are the heels? And the lifts, if you use them?”

“That’s...” he feels his cheeks heat. “Probably two inches.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” she says, sighing. “I don’t want to send you to grab them so we can make sure. Worst comes to worst, I haven’t hemmed them enough, and you look a bit silly. I have enough work to do with your sister’s dress.”

“That won’t reflect badly on you?”

“You’re not from here. I can blame your tailor.”

Jonghyun can’t help a small laugh. “That’s fair.”

Once finished with her pins, she steps away and looks between them. “You can change back into your other clothes and leave. I’ll have to drag the king away from a meeting for his fitting, so I’ll pick the garments up then.”

“Thank you,” Jinki says, smiling. “Say hello to Seulgi for me?”

“Of course.” She tucks her pincushion back into her pocket and departs with a small bow, shutting the door behind her again.

It takes a second after she disappears for Jonghyun to realize what he’s left with.

They’re alone. And there’s no one waiting outside the room, or expectation for them to be elsewhere. He glances at Jinki, who looks back at him nervously. Jonghyun has a feeling he had the same realization.

He ducks away to a corner of the room before Jinki can speak. He knows Jinki won’t look, but he’s still slow to change. His thoughts are muddled enough that he forgets to mind Sooyoung’s pins as he tries to pull himself free.

“Shit,” he curses when three of them stick his forearm at once.

“Are you alright?” He hears Jinki steps closer. When he turns, Jinki is nearly in front of him — shirtless.

Jonghyun glances at his chest unwittingly, then meets his eyes with a glare. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

“No,” Jinki says. “You sounded like you got hurt.”

“It was only a pin.”

“I know. But you looked off during the fitting, too.” Jinki’s concern is apparent in the furrow of his eyebrows. “I understand that you’re avoiding me. I just...I want to know you’re alright.”

“I’m fine,” he lies.

“I’m not sure I believe that.”

“It still doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me,” Jinki says. “I never wanted to hurt you, and I’m worried I did. I thought since you started things, it...”

“I made a mistake. We’ll move on.”

Jinki’s lips tighten. He gestures to his discarded wedding clothes.

“You know I don’t want this,” he says.

“I know.”

Jonghyun’s imagined himself in Jinki’s position far too many times to not understand.

Their eyes meet again. Jinki steps forward. Jonghyun forces himself to keep his attention on Jinki’s face.

There’s room to step back. Plenty of it. But he stands still, letting Jinki closer.

“If I weren’t the prince of Aldovia,” Jinki says. “Would you want to keep avoiding me?”

“I can’t answer that question. It’s not reality.”

“I know,” Jinki says. “But if it were—”

“I don’t know,” Jonghyun cuts him off. “Things might be different. It’s hard to say, since we barely know each other. It’s too soon to say if anything would work well between us.”

Jinki smiles wryly. “I know. It’s pretty stupid. I only know that I keep thinking of what trying might be like, and that it’s hard to forget what we already did.”

Jonghyun tries to laugh, but all that comes out is a sharp breath. “Was it that good, or are you just a romantic?”

“Both, I think.” Jinki steps closer again, this time with a genuine smile. Jonghyun’s stomach swoops. “I’m not the type to think fate is a thing, really—”

“I hope not,” Jonghyun interrupts, throat tight. “It’s a silly idea.”

“But I think it’s a lucky coincidence, at least. That I got to meet a prince like you. It makes it easier to imagine a different life for myself.” Jinki places a hand on the side of his neck and thumbs his jaw. “I do want to kiss you again, too.”

It’s a small gesture, but it’s enough to leave him dizzy. Jonghyun lets Jinki’s hand stay. “Even after how much I’ve tried to avoid you?”

“I understand why,” Jinki says. “So that doesn’t affect how I feel.” When Jonghyun says nothing, Jinki’s eyes flick to his lips. “Can I kiss you?”

Jonghyun stares at him, at war with himself again. If he wanted to refuse, he shouldn’t have let Jinki get this close.

Stupidly — but unsurprisingly — he finds himself nodding. Jinki blinks at him, seemingly shocked by the response even though he’d asked. After taking another moment to shift his hand to Jonghyun’s cheek, Jinki leans down and kisses him.

Jonghyun closes his eyes. He shouldn’t be enjoying this — but after trying to suppress every memory he had of their single time together, the reconfirmation of the sensation feels like bliss. His stomach swoops. When Jinki pulls back, the dread he should feel is only a pinch compared to the want for more that burns under his skin.

Jinki places a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. “Don’t blame yourself for anything I do. It’s all my decision,” he says, voice low. “I know how important the marriage is. And I know it’s selfish to want to find another solution, so I hope you’ll be able to see me the same after.”

Jonghyun stiffens. “What’re you saying?”

“I don’t know yet. I have to talk with your sister and my parents to see if we can find something else — but I know I can’t do this. Marrying her, having _children_...”

“If this is because we had a single, stupid thing—”

“It wasn’t stupid, for one,” Jinki says, lips pursed. “And I’ve said it a dozen times: it’s not just about you. But you still—” he stops, swallowing hard. “You made me realize what I’d be compromising. Not that Sodam would stop me from pursuing men. But everything else would feel wrong. I’d have to make it a smaller part of me, and I don’t want to split myself in two like that.”

Jonghyun’s heart beats faster when he meets Jinki’s eyes. There’s no doubt in them — only a steely determination that makes Jonghyun still. He knows he can’t convince Jinki to change his mind. It’s the same expression he’s sure he’s worn, when he told his parents there was no chance of him ever marrying a woman for love _or_ politics.

He won’t be able to stop Jinki. It’s only a matter of what will happen in the aftermath.

Jonghyun takes Jinki’s hands, hesitant. He should do everything he can to convince Jinki to go through with the marriage. But even disregarding his own feelings — how badly he wants more with him, when he's had barely a glimpse yet — he wouldn’t feel right talking someone into a fate he could never bear himself.

“I understand.”

Jinki’s fingers twitch in his hold, surprise apparent. “You do?”

Jonghyun nods. “I’m worried about what will happen, as a result of your decision. But what you’d be resigned to...” He squeezes Jinki’s hand, then brushes a thumb against the back of his palm. “That’s one of my worst fears. I can’t blame you for trying to escape that.”

Jinki swallows hard. “Thank you.”

“Do you have any idea of what will happen?”

“Not entirely. I’ll speak with Sodam first, of course. After that, it’s my parents I have to worry about.”

Jonghyun nods, trying to seem calm though his thoughts are racing. “Are you going to tell them about...?”

“No,” Jinki says. “Like you mentioned — I don’t want them to blame you for me ending the engagement. You were right when you said how important this marriage might be for your country. I’m not going to risk putting anyone in your family on their bad side until I’m certain we can find some other arrangement.”

Jonghyun grips Jinki’s hands tighter. “I appreciate that.”

“Of course.” Though Jinki smiles, Jonghyun can see the nervousness behind it. “I’ll be talking to everyone after dinner. And I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything.”

Jonghyun nods. He can’t help but worry for Jinki, when he remembers how stressful his own talks with his parents had been. Though they’d come around in the end, it had taken days and more than a few tears.

He steps closer to wrap his arms around Jinki, giving him a short and firm embrace that seems to catch them both off guard. Jinki’s shoulders tense under his hands, and when he pulls back, Jinki’s eyes are still wide with surprise.

“Good luck. I hope you can work things out.”

Jinki smiles, tense. “Thank you. I hope so, too.”


	9. Chapter 9

Though Jinki smiles throughout dinner, Jonghyun can see the tension in his shoulders and the grip of his fingers around his wine glass. When the meal ends, and Jinki follows his parents out of the room, Jonghyun sends him an encouraging smile before they disappear.

Knowing what Jinki is doing makes him more nervous than he should be, considering Jinki’s decision is more about the fate of Aldovia than anything else. But he can’t help his sympathy, or his selfish desire to be closer to Jinki without the engagement hanging over their heads

On the walk back to their own rooms, Sodam is silent — not unhappy, he can tell, but deep in thought — and he knows her well enough not to bother her. As close as they are, she prefers space until she’s sorted out her own opinion on things completely.

Jonghyun spends the rest of the evening alone in his room. As expected, he can’t sleep, but he doesn’t have the courage to wander the palace knowing that Jinki is upheaving the expectations his family had for decades on end. Maybe Jinki’s decision was inevitable, but he can’t help but feel somewhat responsible.

The hours drag on. He’s certain it’s near midnight when he hears footsteps stop outside his room. He runs a hand through his hair, not bothering to grab a robe, and moves to open the door.

Jinki stands in the doorway. He’s wearing the same shirt and breeches he’d changed into after their meeting with the tailor, though now the fabric is laden with creases. His hair is a mess of tangles, as if he’d spent hours wringing his hand through the locks — which Jonghyun imagines was likely.

Even still, Jonghyun feels his heart speed at the sight of him.

Jinki’s smile is tentative, but genuine. “I was going to knock.”

“I heard someone.” Jonghyun shrugs. He meets Jinki’s eyes, as if he could read exactly what happened after dinner in them, and swallows. “You talked to your parents?”

He nods. “They’re willing to reconsider things. I spoke with Sodam earlier, too. I think she might be talking with them now, but I’m not sure. They wanted me away while they talked.”

“They’re still talking this late?”

“I know,” Jinki says, guilt in his eyes. “It’s been a long discussion. I don’t think they’ll rest until they figure something out.”

“I’m surprised they don’t want you there for it.”

“They said if I’m stepping down from the throne, it’ll be out of my hands anyway. And that I’m obviously not the best at prioritizing Aldovia.”

Jonghyun frowns. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. It’s true, after all.”

“If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be trying to find another solution. That’s not fair for them to say.”

“I’m not bothered by it. Not as much as I should be, probably.” He smiles wryly. “Were you planning on staying up until I had some news?”

“Not exactly. But I couldn’t sleep."

“I’m sorry.” Jinki pauses to search his face. “Is it alright if I come in? I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep, either.”

He steps back to let Jinki into the room, then shuts the door behind him. The room he’d been given is less than half the size of Jinki’s. The only places to sit are a single couch and his bed. He glances at Jinki, then gestures hurriedly to the couch. “Do you want to sit?”

Jinki nods. He steps over to the couch and takes a seat on the end, then immediately buries his face in his hands. Worried, Jonghyun hurries over to sit beside him, but when he places a hand on Jinki’s back, Jinki gives a broken laugh.

“A part of me can’t believe I’m doing this,” he says, straightening with a sigh. “I can’t say I’ve been dreading marriage for years — I pushed it to the back of my mind as much as I could — but this month has been hell.” Jinki pauses to send him a smile. “Except for you, of course.”

Jonghyun’s cheeks warm as he runs his hand over Jinki’s back. “Is now really the time to flatter me?”

“Probably not,” Jinki admits. “I’m sure you’re stressed about this, since your home will be impacted, and I’m certainly uneasy. But other than that, it’s...” when he trails off, he takes one of Jonghyun’s hands. “It’s almost exciting? If it all works out, I can do whatever I like. I don’t know if they’ll force me to leave the palace, but even that idea isn’t as scary as it should be.”

Jonghyun feels his pulse speed. As anxious as he’s been, Jinki’s excitement is infectious.

“Is there a chance they’d want you to stay a prince and not get married?”

“I don’t think so, based on what they’ve said so far. They don’t like the idea of having an elder son that didn’t inherit, since that’d be so against tradition.”

The implication is clear, and Jonghyun can’t help but frown. “They’d disown you completely, then?”

“Maybe,” he says. “But then I’d have all the time in the world to do what I like. Complete freedom. No marriage, no time wasted on dinners with stuffy officials and merchants.”

Jonghyun purses his lips. “You’re going to make me jealous.”

“Sorry,” Jinki apologizes. “I’m trying to focus on the best side of things, so I don’t feel quite as anxious during the wait.”

“That’s smart.”

Jinki grins, excitement plain again. “It’s part of why I came here, too.”

Jonghyun feels his cheeks heat. “Really?”

“Really,” Jinki repeats. “I understand if you don’t want to do anything until we know what’s going to happen, though.”

Jonghyun bites his lip. He _should_ wait. But he also shouldn’t have kissed Jinki in the first time. Or the last time. Did one more really matter?

“I’m not entirely against it.”

Jinki turns to face him completely. “So...?”

“Only a kiss,” Jonghyun says, though he’s not sure he means it. “For now. It’s late.”

Jinki’s lips pull into a grin. “Alright.

He shifts closer, then places a hand on his cheek. When he leans in, he pauses before their lips meet to look at Jonghyun through his lashes. Jonghyun shivers — it’s hard to fight the urge to close that last distance — but the wait is almost as enjoyable. His skin warms under Jinki’s palm.

Jinki gives a small laugh. “You’re going to make me lead, aren’t you?”

“I said you should give it a try.”

“You did,” Jinki acknowledges. He licks his lips, then leans in. The kiss he gives is tender, almost thankful, and it makes Jonghyun’s whole body heat

When Jinki begins to pull away, Jonghyun shakes his head and grabs a fistful of his shirt. “Again?”

Jonghyun meets him the second time, shifting his own torso to better face Jinki. He tilts his head, deepening the kiss and making Jinki moan against his lips. The small sound is enough to make him wonder why he’d tried to limit himself at all. Not wanting to let go, he presses forward, getting as close as he can without crawling completely into Jinki’s lap.

Jinki’s eyes widen. “Jonghyun...”

Jonghyun responds by moving his mouth down to the line of Jinki’s jaw. The change of position makes his nightshirt ride up around his thighs, and he sees Jinki give a quick glance down before tilting his head back to give better access to his neck. He’s sure Jinki can feel nearly everything: the fabric isn’t thick at all, which is why he wears a robe whenever he leaves his room.

He presses kisses down Jinki’s neck, pulse speeding at every curse and moan he draws. When Jonghyun bites his collar, Jinki reaches around him to grip his ass. Jonghyun gasps when he feels Jinki’s palm against his skin — somehow, Jinki had managed to draw the fabric up with his reach.

Jinki winces and yanks his hand back. “I’m sorry, you said you only wanted—“

“Changed my mind.” Jonghyun stretches up to kiss him fully again.

“Oh.” Jinki grins and places a hand on Jonghyun’s thigh, sliding it up until he returns it to its earlier position. “Are there any new limitations, then?”

Jonghyun shakes his head, already dizzy. “No point.”

“Then do you want to move to the bed?”

He nods hurriedly, scrambling off of where he was half resting in Jinki’s lap to let him stand. Jinki kisses him as soon as they’re on their feet and guides him back towards the bed, barely stopping to breathe.

There’s less clothes on him this time. All Jinki has to do to undress Jonghyun completely is lift his nightshirt over his head. Jonghyun nearly undresses Jinki just as quickly, tugging of his shirt and untying the laces of his breeches in a rush. He leaves Jinki to the last of it and climbs back onto the bed, heart racing faster when Jinki joins him and climbs between his legs.

Jonghyun falls back fully onto the mattress with a shy smile. Jinki doesn’t return it until his eyes have traveled entirely over him.

“I’m glad I get to appreciate you properly this time.”

Jonghyun places a hand on Jinki’s chest, pushing him playfully. “There’s better things you could be doing than using your eyes, you know.”

Jinki laughs and lowers himself to kiss Jonghyun. “That’s very true,” he murmurs against his lips. “What are you imagining?”

“Same as last time, maybe?” Jonghyun asks, shivering as he runs his palms over Jinki’s arms. Supporting himself brings a flex to the muscle that makes the strength in it all the more apparent. “I don’t know if you have a preference, but...”

“No, I want to fuck you.”

Jonghyun’s eyes go wide. He inhales when he feels Jinki’s hand run down his stomach. “I’m happy with that, but maybe...” he trails off, trying to imagine what he wants. “A little less rushed than last time?”

“I can do that.” Jinki smiles at him softly. “Have anything to make this easier?”

“There’s oil on the dresser.”

Jinki hurries off to grab it. When Jonghyun lifts up on his elbows to get a glimpse of his backside, turns around and grins at him. “Enjoying the view?”

“Only a bit.”

Jinki returns to the bed with a huff. “I’d hoped for more than that.”

“I’m just teasing.” Jonghyun tugs him back down for a kiss. Jinki cups his chin and tilts his head up, adjusting their angle until he can easily dip his tongue into Jonghyun’s mouth. Jonghyun’s moan is muffled between them when he shivers as the deeper kiss. His fingers curl into Jinki’s hair, urging him on, and he groans when he’s rewarded with the full weight of Jinki laying over him.

As much as he wants more, he nearly pouts when Jinki pulls away to pour some of the oil onto his hand.

He closes his eyes when Jinki’s fingers push into him. It’s a different kind of good, having the sensation of being stretched without frustration thrumming through his veins. He lets his legs open wider. Jinki’s eyes flick down to them with interest, and a second later, he shifts to have his mouth over Jonghyun’s cock.

Jonghyun throbs when Jinki presses lips against him. There’s barely any pressure to it, but the sight of it is something — and then Jinki’s moving, kissing along his shaft until he reaches the head. He stops there, letting Jonghyun’s cock rest against his lips, and looks up at Jonghyun.

Jonghyun’s head spins. “Are you going to...?”

“Only a bit,” Jinki says, grinning.

Jonghyun curses and lets his head fall back. He feels Jinki’s laugh against him, but it’s hard to feign irritation in response when his fingers curl and his nerves light up again with pleasure. He clutches Jinki’s hair and and exhales. “I’m starting to regret asking for you to go slow.”

“Yeah?” Jinki’s finger slip half out him, then stop. “You want me fuck you now?”

Jonghyun nods, unable to hide his eagerness any longer. “Please.”

Jinki pulls his fingers free, then slicks up his cock. He leans over Jonghyun to kiss him slowly as Jonghyun wraps his rests his arms over his shoulders. Jinki’s gaze locks with his as he reaches down and presses the head of his cock against Jonghyun, then stills, leaving only the barest pressure.

Heat rolls under Jonghyun’s skin. Jinki’s tongue is between his teeth, eyes glimmering with delight as Jonghyun pants under him.

He’s not surprised to find Jinki enjoys teasing, but that doesn't mean he wants it now. He digs his fingers into Jinki’s bicep. “When I said slow, I didn’t mean _this_.”

“Sorry,” Jinki says, though his smile is anything but. He braces himself on one arm as he reaches down to line himself up.

Jonghyun keeps his eyes open as Jinki pushes in, wanting to see all the things he’d missed their first time around. He exhales, letting him in — too no surprise, it’s easier with the minutes Jinki had spent stretching him out, and a comfortable bed — and it takes no effort for Jinki to bury into him completely.

The first time Jinki’s hips draw away, he wraps his around him to keep him from pulling too far. The neediness of it makes Jinki hum and drive back into him. When Jonghyun gasps, Jinki kisses along his jaw and repeats the motion

“Like this?”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun pants and clutches Jinki tighter. Jinki pushes deeper into him, making him shake. His hands scramble across Jinki’s back as he lifts his legs further back. Jonghyun curses when Jinki speeds up and the bed begins to creak beneath them.

Jinki huffs a laugh against his ear between thrusts. “Are you going to let me help you come this time?”

“Maybe,” Jonghyun mumbles. He pushes against Jinki’s chest. “Give me room.”

When Jinki lifts himself up, Jonghyun slips a hand into the new space between them to stroke his own cock. Jinki stops to watch..

“That’ll be enough?”

Jonghyun narrows his eyes. “If you don’t stop, yeah.”

“Then I won’t.”

Jonghyun’s breath hitches when Jinki fucks back into him a second later. He closes his eyes, allowing the feeling of Jinki fucking into him and his hand to take over the last of his thoughts. His muscles tighten with each new movement, pleasure starting to outweigh everything else until all he can manage is a small moan and a hissed warning that he’s close. Jinki presses down to bottom out the instant he hears it, forcing an extra shudder out of Jonghyun as he feels Jinki’s cock throb inside him.

He strokes himself through it, not stopping until he finally feels Jinki still inside of him. There’s a mess between him, but that doesn’t stop Jinki from resting against him after he finishes.

Jinki lowers his head to press a quick kiss to Jonghyun’s neck, then lifts himself away and meets Jonghyun’s eyes with a smile. “Good?”

Jonghyun nods and hums, too content to think clearly. He pulls Jinki over to his side and turns towards him to run fingers through Jinki’s hair, enjoying the tenderness of the gesture. How serious anything between them could be with everything going on, he has no idea. But he can indulge in it for now, and it’s easy to have hope.

After a minute of laying on top of him Jinki pulls out and rolls off of him. Jonghyun turns his head to watch him, smiling softly. It’s getting harder for him to pretend he’s not excited about the possibility of Jinki abdicating, selfish as it is. He knows Sodam’s only attachment to the idea of marrying Jinki was what it would do for their home.

Jonghyun places a hand on Jinki’s stomach to draw his attention. “Was that was better than the first time?”

“Think so.” Jinki laughs softly and falls onto his side to throw an arm over Jonghyun. He takes a deep breath, then buries his face against Jonghyun’s neck. “And I’m hoping there will be a third time, too.”

“Me too,” Jonghyun says. He runs his fingers through Jinki’s hair. “I’m guessing it depends on how everything turns out, though, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe. But I can’t see an outcome that would keep us from continuing this.”

Jonghyun bites his lip. He can see a few that would make it difficult, but he’s not sure how much that matters. He has a feeling Jinki wouldn’t see anything as a barrier.

“I have to go back to Byrem at some point.”

“I’m a good letter writer,” Jinki says, smiling. “And if I _am_ entirely disowned, I can’t see any reason not to go wherever I like. I’d want to see more of the world, anyway.”

Jonghyun blinks. The idea sends his heart racing, even as his mind tells him it’s too soon to say.

“Isn’t it a little fast?”

“There’s time before you leave for us to see where this leads. And it’s not as if you’re going to keep me captive in Byrem or anything, are you? I wouldn’t be worth much ransom at that point.”

Jonghyun laughs. He grabs Jinki’s wrist and pins it to the bed with a grin. “Are you sure about that?”

Jinki twists out of his hold and pushes him onto his back, then quickly holds down his hands and straddles him. “I think since you’re in my palace, you should worry more about the other way around."

Jonghyun blinks up at him, cheeks heating. It takes him longer than it should to find his voice. “Are you trying to have a second round?”

Jinki shifts a finger to push against his palm. “I don’t see why we shouldn’t. At this rate—”

The door swings open. Jonghyun and Jinki startle at the same time — Jonghyun grabbing the sheets to cover them, and Jinki, rolling off to his side — and the glimpse he gets at the open door way is enough to make his stomach drop.

“I know you’re probably still up—” Sodam stiffens when her eyes fall on the bed. “Oh.” She stares. Jonghyun can see the realization sinking in. Her lip quirks into an expression Jonghyun can’t read through his embarrassment. “I was right about you being up, at least.”

Jonghyun forces himself to sit up. “This is, um...” He trails off when Sodam only stares. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she says. She covers her mouth and snickers. “Jinki said he’d grown fond of you, but I didn’t realize how he’d meant it.” She glances as Jinki and raises a brow. “I’m guessing you’ve done this before?”

Jinki sits up and nods seriously, blankets bunches around his lap. How he can manage any dignity getting caught like this, he can’t imagine.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t entirely honest about this. I wasn’t certain how Jonghyun would feel about you knowing.”

Jonghyun's face burns as he looks down. Too late to worry about that now.

Sodam smiles. “It’s alright. From how you described things, you would’ve wanted to end the engagement either way.”

Jinki nods. Jonghyun’s fingers tighten in the sheets. He swallows and looks at Sodam. “You’re really not upset with me?”

“I told you I didn’t care what he did,” she says. “I meant it. We talked about these things, when we wrote each other.”

“Thanks,” he says. He fixes the sheets around him and forces an awkward smile. “So, uh — what did you come in here for?”

“Jinki’s family and I have been talking for a few hours. I think we’ve figured out a way to make everything work for our country.”

Jonghyun sees Jinki perk up. “Really?”

“Yeah. They thought we’d need to wait till morning to talk with you about it again, since they didn’t know where you’d gone. But we can see if they’re still up now, I guess, unless you want to sleep.”

“No, I’d rather get it over with.” Jinki starts to climb out of bed, then stops when he remembers their clothes are still at the end of the bed. “Can we, uh—”

Sodam laughs and steps back towards the door. “Yeah, I’ll let you get dressed.”


	10. Chapter 10

Once dressed, they walk with Sodam through the palace to the royal wing. Jonghyun sees Jinki’s lips tighten the closer they get, and when they reach a pair of large doors, he reaches for Jonghyun’s hand and squeezes.

Jonghyun gives him a quick squeeze back. Jinki sends him a small smile, then drops his hand to knock on one of the doors.

The queen’s voice sounds from the other side, tiredness apparent. “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Jinki says. “Sodam found me and said we should talk. Jonghyun’s here, too.”

He hears her speak to someone else in side. A second later, the door opens, and Boa gestures for them to enter.

“Please. There’s plenty of seats. We should talk.”

The king and queen’s chambers are larger than any he’s seen so far. A low table with three couches sits on one end of the room. King Yunho sits at a chair near the room’s desk, far from the couches, where Taemin stands. When Jonghyun moves to take a seat, Sodam sits beside him while Jinki takes one on the couch adjacent to him.

“Sodam said you’d found an alternative to our engagement,” Jinki starts.

“Yes.” Boa spares a glance at her husband before joining them on the couches. She places a hand on Taemin’s knee and smiles at him, then at Sodam. “Taemin is willing to inherit and take over Jinki’s role completely.”

“Completely?” Jinki repeats. “Then, you mean...”

“If you abdicate, he’ll marry Sodam, and inherit the throne. It’ll delay the wedding a bit, since we’ll have to make some changes, but...” she inhales. “I think it’s the simplest solution.”

Jinki looks between Sodam and Taemin. “And you’re both alright with that?”

When Taemin sits forward and nods, Sodam does the same. Jonghyun hides a smile. Even before she speaks, he can tell she prefers it.

“I mean no offense by this, Jinki,” she says. “But I can’t say I ever was too keen on the idea of our marriage, considering our incompatible nature. This will allow me a bit of a happier future as well.”

“I hope so,” Jinki says. “I hate the thought of ruining anyone’s future.”

In the back of the room, Yunho clears his throat. “You didn’t seem to hesitate when you came to speak with us about this earlier.”

Jinki stiffens. “Well, yes, but...”

“It’s fine,” he says, clipped. “We found a solution for our countries’ futures. The alliance will go through as we’ve planned for decades, and there will be no major disturbance in our bloodline.” Yunho stops to stand and approach. “Do you have a plan for what you’ll do after abandoning your duties?”

Jonghyun sees Jinki swallow. He wants to reach out and support him — out of everyone, it’s obvious that Yunho is the most disappointed in him — but he knows it’d be better to keep his hands to himself.

Jinki’s eyes flick to Jonghyun before he forces a smile. “I’ll want to stay here for the wedding and attend, if you’ll allow that.”

“Of course you can stay for the wedding,” Boa says.

“Yes, we’ll permit that,” Yunho confirms, though his words have none of the softness Boa’s had.

“Thank you,” Jinki says.

“And after that?” Yunho presses. “What are you going to do?”

“I, uh—” Jinki pauses. “I’m not sure.”

“That’s alright,” Boa says quickly. “I understand this decision was more about avoiding something, than choosing something else. And we’ll obviously still support you, if you choose to stay here. But if you want to live elsewhere...”

“You’ll be on your own,” Yunho says, voice tight. “Any access to Aldovia’s wealth will have to be through us. And your inheritance will obviously be forfeit.”

Jonghyun sees Jinki swallow. “I understand.”

“Do you, really?”

Jinki’s lips tighten. “Yes. I’m not afraid of having to take care of myself. If I were, I never would’ve proposed this.”

The rest of the conversation is formalities. Jonghyun listens to it all carefully, but can’t help but miss some of the statements as the length of the night begins to catch up with him. When everything is done, it’s apparent where the royal family stands: Taemin is happy; Boa is cautiously optimistic; and Yunho is disappointed. He’s too tired to process what that might mean for their future interactions — or add much to their discussion of how the wedding will change — but he lingers. Sodam and Taemin return to their rooms in a hurry, both yawning, while Boa and Yunho simply close the door behind them.

Not wanting to draw attention, Jonghyun makes his way back towards his room slowly until Jinki can catch up with him. He turns the instant he hears Jinki’s footsteps behind him.

For a moment, he has no idea what to say — though Yunho’s anger had been plain, he had no hope that things could go so well — and Jinki seems equally speechless.

Jonghyun finally manages a shy smile. “You’re happy with how things are turning out?”

“Very,” Jinki says. He glances over his shoulder, then tilts to look behind Jonghyun. “I’m sorry tonight ended like this. I was hoping for something a bit more romantic than treaty discussions.”

“It’s alright. I’m just glad that the alliance won’t suffer at all.”

“Yeah.” Jinki pauses to lick his lips. “I’m sure you don’t want to say anything about us right away, but...”

“You don’t see the point in hiding it?”

“Not really. I think now that Taemin and Sodam are engaged — and I have no relation to the royal family, technically — there’s little chance either of us could influence what my parents want to do.”

“That’s probably true,” Jonghyun says. “Though I’d like to wait at least a few weeks, so they don’t think I stole you away from my sister.”

Jinki laughs. “It’s not stealing if I’d rather be with you.” He reaches out to grab Jonghyun’s wrist and gives it a small squeeze before stepping back towards his room with a sigh. “I guess this is goodnight, then?”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun agrees, following after him. When they reach the alcove of Jinki’s doorway, he stops to steal a kiss before passing by the room completely. “I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast.”


	11. Chapter 11

The wedding is delayed a week from its original date, to accommodate the extra tailoring required to make Taemin the new groom. Despite the sudden change of plans, the ceremony goes smoothly. Jonghyun finds himself looking at Jinki from the other side of the aisle. Sodam and Taemin have a spark that seems promising, and part of him hopes that means she won’t have the loveless marriage she expected to have most of her life.

Though they’re only there as supporters of their siblings, Jinki raises a brow at him halfway through the vows, and that’s enough to make him flush and smile wider for the rest of the ceremony. A month is still too fast to know what would happen once they’re in Byrem, but each day makes it easier and easier to imagine a solid future with Jinki.

Their trip back is peaceful, more than the rush of preparations and aftermath of the wedding had been. Jonghyun spends the hours in the carriage reading or answering Jinki’s questions about his new home, while Jinki passes the time with more of his embroidery.

How Jinki can manage to keep a steady hand in the carriage, Jonghyun can’t imagine. But the bumps of the wheels over the dirt road do nothing to stop him from trying, though he takes advantage of every stop they have to work twice as fast.

Jonghyun keeps an eye on Jinki’s latest project over the edge of his book. He’d hoped to figure out what it might be on his own, but his only guess from the plain white fabric is a handkerchief, and that seems unlikely.

The next time they stop, he leans forward and taps Jinki’s knee to gain his attention.

“What’re you making this time?”

“This?” Jinki asks, holding “A handkerchief.”

“Didn’t you just finish one?”

“Yeah,” Jinki says. He grins. “But this one’s for you.”

“Oh.” Jonghyun’s cheeks heat. “Thank you. In advance.”

“I wouldn’t dream of visiting Byrem without a gift for their handsome prince.”

Jonghyun reaches across the carriage cabin to pinch him. “Don’t be like that.”

Jinki blinks at him, innocent, and sets his embroidery hoop aside. He glances down at Jonghyun’s lips. “I’m only telling the truth. Can I not flatter you?”

Jonghyun sends him a teasing smile. “I suppose it’s smart to get on the good side of the royalty where you’re going.”

“Exactly.” Jinki leans forward and kisses him. Just as their lips meet, the carriage jolts, knocking Jinki out of his seat.

When Jinki braces himself on Jonghyun’s thighs to keep from falling, Jonghyun helps catch him. It’s enough to keep their heads from bumping into each other, but Jinki still ends up half on his knees in the middle of the cabin.

“Look at that. I’m already getting used to kneeling for royalty.”

Jonghyun laughs and kisses him again before helping Jinki back into his seat. “Don’t get too used to it. I’d prefer the other way around.”


End file.
